The Dreaded Mississippi River Crossing

The Journey is exciting, historical fiction, that tells the story of Lona and Charlie Stegall joining a wagon train in North Carolina and coming to Union County, Arkansas to homestead. The wagons had crossed several rivers, but the worst was ahead. Even in 1899, the grapevine was alive and well. Lona stepped outside the wagon for a breath of fresh air before going to bed. She overheard excited voices and, under cover of darkness, went closer to listen. They would cross the Mississippi by ferry, and the voice went on to say, he sure hoped the horses didn't bolt and jump off the ferry like some had done, never to be recovered in those sink holes. Lona pretended to be sleeping when Charlie crawled into bed, but she lay awake for hours, and then dreamed of horses being sucked under by whirlpools and wagons floating down the river.
The next morning, there were dark circles under her eyes. By noon, the river was in sight. A big cheer went up from the wagon train. Lona strained to see Arkansas soil and promised herself if she ever reached their homestead, she'd be quite content not to look at another river.
Two wagons at a time were driven onto the ferry. The current was swift, and the ferry hit the other side too fast. Wagons groaned and horses fought to keep their balance. Children cried, and men cursed. Then it was Charlie and Lona's turn. Lona crawled up on the seat of the wagon and and took the reins. Charlie stood by the team. The ferry picked up speed with the current, and Lona looked down into that churning mass of water. Charlie hollered, "Get ready for a rough landing, Lona." The ferry landed with a hard thud, and Lona was thrown underneath the foot board. The wagons shuddered, chickens squawked and flapped, and the horses stomped and pranced. Lona scrambled to her feet in time to see Charlie's hat float away. She looked down into the river and screamed his name.