As they came even closer to Oregon Country and the Whitman Mission major problems seemed to keep at bay. But they were constantly plagued by minor incidents that could have become considerably more serious.
The evenings were quiet cold now and at night everyone huddled around a large fire. One night Elizabeth Sager crouched a little too close to the blazing warmth and her full calico skirt, blown by the wind, brushed into the flames. Her scream of fright brought Dr. Dagon to her rescue. Elizabeth was not hurt but the good doctor had put out her burning skirt with his bare hands. The doctor's hands were so badly burned that he could not help with driving the oxen for many days. Then little Louise Sager was the next cause of concern.
Louise, though usually cuddled in bed at night beside her older sister, Catherine, somehow managed to move away from her. Louise woke, thinking herself all alone. Her first little thought was to call to her Mama--then she crawled from the warm bed into the freezing night in search of her mother. This time it was the wagon master and his wife, Sally, who came to the rescue when Mrs. Shaw awoke to the pitiful cries of a lost child. The way things were going, surely no one was too surprised when Indians suddenly appeared.
According to Captain Shaw these Indians were calling themselves "Doctor Whitman's Indians." They seemed friendly and even had a few potatoes they wanted to trade for guns or clothing. As starved as the members of the wagon train were for something other than dried meat some of the men even took the shirts they were wearing off and traded.
A hint of fall was in the air now and with it had come the rains. They were finding it difficult to collect wood that was not too damp to burn. Frank Sager, thinking he was doing the right thing one evening, upended his powder horn over a pile of wet wood that only emitted a fragile wisp of flame. Instantly the horn exploded in Frank's hands. He was knocked to the ground but quickly jumped up and staggered to a stream and plunged his head into the water. It was his eyes that he was concerned about. But at least this event, that could have been very tragic, was the cause for laughter after the doctor examined Frank.
