Chapter 11

"That's it!" Cadman screamed after the wheel fell off for perhaps the fourth time that morning.
He jumped down and walked to the back of the wagon and started removing the contents.
"Cadman, what are you doing?" Cayle asked.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Cadman responded.
"Let me rephrase that." Cayle said, jumping down from his own wagon. "Why are you doing that?"
"Where the hell have you been for the past two days?" Cadman demanded, pausing for a moment. "The damn wheel keeps coming off, so I say we ditch this cursed thing and just use the one wagon."
"But then there is a chance that the wheels on the other wagon will come off from the excess weight." Alroy pointed out.
"Got any better ideas?" Cadman demanded as he started loading the contents into the other wagon.
"You realize this is going to slow us down considerably, right?" Cayle asked.
"We can buy another wagon at the town." Cadman said. "Now, are you going to continue to stand there and argue some more, or are you going to do something productive and help me?"
                                                                        *
When they finished loading the second wagon, Finn positioned it on the side of the road, out of everyone's way. He jumped down and unhooked the horses and walked them over to the other wagon.
"Do we all ride in the wagon or do we go as normal with only two?" he asked.
"I say we stick with two, that way the horses won't have to pull the weight of two more grown men." Cayle said. "Just what do you think you're doing?" he said to Cadman as he caught sight of the man preparing to mount one of the two horses.
"Uh, mounting?" He answered. "Why?"
"This was your idea; so that means that you get to drive the wagon." Cayle said.
Cadman was speechless for a moment, before he consented and climbed into the wagon beside Alroy.
They glanced at each other, but didn't say a word as Cadman clicked the reins, and started crawling along the road, leaving Cayle and Finn to mount the remaining horses.
"That's going to be an interesting ride." Cayle commented to Finn as they started out after the still slow moving wagon.
                                                                       *
After an hour of this, they stopped for a rest.
"This isn't working." Alroy said. "We're moving too slow, and we're almost out of daylight. Nice idea, Cadman."
Cadman glared at him, but otherwise didn't answer.
"Why don't we use these two horses? The wagon would move faster." Finn suggested, dismounting.
"We dismissed that one already." Cadman said.
"And how's that going for you?" Finn asked calmly. He retained his calm expression even after the glare he got from Cadman.
"Why don't we get something to eat?" Cayle suggested. "We can come up with some ideas while we do that."
"Works for me." Cadman said as he climbed down.
Finn dug out the vegetables and meat to make a stew; and while he did that, the other's tried to think of what to do about their singular wagon problem.
"I told you this would be a bad idea, Cadman, but you didn't listen. You never listen to me." Cayle pointed out.
Cadman was about to retort when Alroy stopped him. "Can we just think for a second without arguing?"
They were silent as they thought, thinking up and dismissing several ideas.
"Don't hurt yourselves." Finn called over from the camp fire.
They all glared at him.
He turned to them with an innocent expression. "What?"
They ignored him.
"I say we just hook up the other two horses, at least we'll go faster than we are now." Alroy suggested.
"Well of course you'd go faster than you are now, you're not moving." Finn said as he walked over with the pot. "Stew anyone?"
                                                                       *
After they ate, they attached the other two horses to the wagon.
"Let's see how easily this is pulled with all four of us." Cayle said.
Finn, sitting in the front, nodded and clicked the reins.
They were going faster than they had before, but not by much.
"Well, this isn't working." Cadman commented as Finn brought the horses to a stop again.
"Why don't two people hop down, and we'll see about that?" Alroy suggested as he jumped down off the wagon. Cayle followed.
Finn clicked the reins again and he went forward at a steady trot, going a lot faster than they had for the past couple of days.
He stopped the wagon again and waited for Alroy and Cayle to catch up.
"Well, that settles it." Cayle said. "You two go on ahead, we'll meet you at the Inn."
Alroy grabbed their packs from the back, handing Cayle his.
"OK," Cadman said. "We'll see you there."
Finn clicked the reins again and they headed off.