Hannish and Prescot sat on the high seat facing front, while the rest sat in the soft hay in the back, chatting and explaining what everything was to Cathleen and Sassy. It seemed they would never run out of questions, but no one minded; most of the Scots didn't know the answers either.
They were nearing Colorado Springs when they finally ran out of questions and Cathleen asked, "What do we do now, Mr. Hannish?"
"Well, we could sing songs," he suggested.
"Mr. Hannish, I know just the song," said Shepard.
"American or Scottish?" Jessie wanted to know.
"American," Shepard answered. "It is called, Wait for the Wagon." Not one of them expected it when he began to sing in a rich, deep vibrato voice.
Wait for the wagon,
Wait for the wagon
Wait for the Wagon
And we'll all take a ride.
Where the river runs like silver
And the birds they sing so sweet
I have a cabin, Phyllis,
And something good to eat;
Everyone sing," Shepard shouted! "Wait for the wagon," Before long, they were all singing the chorus and by the time they reached the middle of town and turned north, they had attracted the attention of nearly everyone.
Pearl and Loretta rushed out of the general store to see what the singing was about. "Mr. MacGreagor does not look so very unhappy today, does he?" asked Pearl, watching the wagon come toward them.
"Not at all," Loretta answered.
Standing on the corner, Claymore Whitfield shouted, "Hannish, where are you going?"
Hannish turned to look back and smile, "To picnic at Palmer Lake, Claymore."
"Mind if we come along?"
"Not at all." He watched Claymore hurry off to find Abigail, noticed Pearl and Loretta standing outside the general store and tipped his hat to them as he passed.
On the other side of the street, Shepard nodded to Mr. Palmer, the owner of the railroad, and was reminded of another song. " I've been working on the railroad. All the livelong day…" he began to sing. The Americans knew this song too, so Shepard taught the Scots the chorus, and soon everyone was singing, "Dinah, won't you blow, Dinah, won't you blow, Dinah, won't you blow your horn."
As soon as the music stopped, McKenna began to giggle. "Brother, have you looked back lately?"
"What?" He turned to see and to his amazement, there were five carriages and two wagons following them. He shrugged, "Our private picnic will not be so private, I imagine."
The climb to the top of one hill was a bit steep for the four-horse team, so most of the riders got out and walked, letting the elder women stay aboard. Cathleen tried to pick all the wild flowers she could along the side of the road, and Sassy kept running back to hurry her along, while Hannish, Alistair and Traitor brought up the rear. At the top, they stopped to admire the view for a moment. Then the men helped the women get back in the wagon and off they went.