On the Oregon trail, the pioneers met many hardships, and often the worst of these was not Indians, or hunger, or thirst, or loss of direction. No, the thing that the pioneers feared the most was fire! Water was so precious it was hard to fight, and it was fire that struck suddenly at a caravan of prairie schooners drawn up for the night at a dry camp in the desert. The wagon were drawn in a circle, with their white canvas tops reflecting the light of the campfire where the pioneers were resting after supper. Suddenly, a burst of flame charred the weathered canvas of one wagon, and chaos ensued!