Martha widened her eyes at her husband: "Dear, you can’t be thinking of..."
"That’s right!" Harper excitedly pulled her along, "We can be like Miles and go to the West Coast for gold. Just think, two years later we come back laden with gold, buy the best land next to the church, and add dozens of slaves!"
Martha, in turn, held his arm: "Dear, do you know how far California is?"
She was born into a small official’s family in Charleston, and her mother taught her not only to read but also quite a bit of geography and history.
However, after her mother passed away, her stepmother didn’t want to waste any dowry on her, so married her off to a poor distant relative, Harper.
Harper scratched his head: "It can’t be farther than Charleston to here, right?"
"Much farther," the woman said seriously, "And along the way are vast desolate lands, thousands of miles occupied by Indian territories. You should know how fierce they are."
The American Government, in its effort to promote the westward movement, spared no effort in portraying the Indians as bloodthirsty and savage barbarians.
Harper picked up a brochure, randomly pointed to a line, and said, "You forget, the French people promised to send troops to escort gold seekers. And they have good relations with the Indians, maybe we just need to say ’Hi, Cherokee,’ and those savages will let us pass..."
"Even if that’s the case, there’s still cold, heat, disease, poisonous insects. Any one of these on such a distant journey could claim our lives!"
Harper, somewhat impatient, said: "Martha, where did that courageous side of you go? It was you who insisted we come to the West, and now you’ve grown timid?"
"It’s not the same..."
Harper took a deep breath and lowered his voice: "Dear, you’ve heard that the State Assembly is expanding the draft numbers, I think it will soon be our turn.
"We don’t even own a gun to repair. If the sheriff comes one day, we’ll owe another big sum of money again!"
According to the United States Federal Congress’s Militia Bill enacted a few years ago, all American adult men must register for military service, and purchase their own flintlock gun, marching backpack, and other equipment.
The Brown Bess owned by the Harper family broke down due to rust two years ago, and the gunsmith in town said it would take 3 dollars and 25 cents to fix it. Meanwhile, they still owed over half of the 40 dollars borrowed due to a pest disaster two years ago, and couldn’t afford the extra costs for gun repair.
If he were to be enlisted, according to the law, the state government would force him to take a loan to buy new weapons and pay fines.
The loan amount ranges from 12 to 20 dollars, with quite high interest rates.
Martha fell silent.
Life in the West wasn’t nearly as good as government propaganda suggests. Although they got a large stretch of farmland, the yield was not much, and selling it meant falling into the trap of merchants.
The goods like farming tools, medicines, fabrics, and salt brought by merchants from the East were outrageously priced.
If they were to shoulder another loan, their family would most likely go bankrupt. Not to mention, if Harper were to die in battle...
The military defaulting on or even cancelling pensions is not unheard of.
"We should head to the West Coast. It’s strewn with gold, even a child can pick up half an ounce a day." Harper’s tone was filled with allure, "Once we strike it rich, we’ll change our names upon returning to the United States. Maybe we won’t even have to pay that debt."
The woman hesitated for an entire night, until the next day she heard someone say that Miller from the village had gone to California, finally making up her mind.
The Harper couple worked efficiently, selling all their possessions to Mr. Isaiah from town within three days, and quietly set off toward the Mississippi River with the 11 dollars they got.
According to what was stated in the brochure, as long as they could reach the West Bank of the river, officials from any village or town in Louisiana were obligated to help them reach Saint Louis — the first stop towards the West Coast.
When they arrived at the riverside with their simple belongings, feeling anxious, they quickly encountered an enthusiastic ferry owner who asked if they were heading to Louisiana.
Upon receiving Harper’s affirmative reply, the captain let them board directly without charging the 1 cent fee.
Mm, Louisiana had sponsored 20 ferries specifically to send people to the West Bank. Moreover, for every person who departs from Saint Louis for California, the ferry captain receives a 1 dollar bonus.
Around four in the afternoon, the Harper couple followed a guide and arrived at a village in East Louisiana, Pakaha.
When they saw a few dark-skinned young men with feathers on their heads at the village entrance, they were almost scared enough to run away.
Fortunately, Martha noticed that the Indians wore well-fitting gray or black coats and loose trousers, and one of them even had a tie, totally dressed in European style, so she let out a slight sigh of relief.
A few Indians approached, and the one with the tie holding a flintlock gun waved and smiled at the gold seekers, speaking in French.
Martha had only learned a little French, barely understanding the words "welcome" and "please in".
The guide said to the dozen or so gold seekers behind: "This is Coston Village, most of the residents here are natives. Everyone will rest here for two days, and when more gold seekers gather nearby, the Pakaha City Government’s guard will escort them to Saint Louis."
Upon entering the village, a white man indicated for the Harper couple and three other gold seekers to follow him to a wooden house, awkwardly telling them in English that here was their temporary residence. The daily meal fee is 10 cents, though they can also provide for themselves.
Harper and Martha took out their carried black bread, but before taking a few bites, they heard bursts of laughter outside.
Martha nervously leaned against the window and saw a dozen Indians heading north of the village, catching words like "theater" and "hero" in their conversations.
Just then, the Indian woman delivering food knocked and entered, asking around, but no gold seeker bought her food, so she turned to leave.
Before leaving, the Indian recalled something and said in English to the few inside: "Oh, today is the day the Remigio Theater Group is performing, you can go see it if you’re interested. There’s no need to buy a ticket if you watch from the outside."
Martha was surprised: "You mean, a play?"
"Yes, ma’am. This time’s piece is an award-winning work from the European Drama Festival — ’Count of Monte Cristo’, and the troupe has two actors from Reims."
Martha was indeed an adventurous woman; after briefly hesitating, she pulled her husband to the north of the village.
Soon, they saw an open-air theater surrounded by long wooden planks, 60 feet wide, where staggered seating inside was already packed — Indians and whites mingled together without any animosity.