I suppose it was the excitement occasioned by the meeting with Colonel
Russell's company, which caused our men in charge of the cattle to be
careless during the evening and later in the night, for when morning
came we found that nearly all the oxen and a goodly number of the cows
had strayed from the camp and disappeared completely.
When Eben Jordan first told us of this, I believed a great disaster
had come upon us; but straightway father and half a dozen of the other
men mounted the horses and set off across the prairie in search of the
missing cattle, as if this was trouble to be expected.
In fact, before many days passed, I came to look upon the straying or
the stampeding of the live stock as of little consequence.
We had plenty of time to cook breakfast that morning while the men were
searching over the prairie for the cattle, and, much to my surprise,
within three hours all the stock had been brought into the encampment
and we were making ready once more for the day's journey.
[Illustration]
Before noon we arrived at Blue Creek, where we had, as it seemed to me,
much trouble because the trail leading to the stream was deep with mud,
and the bottom of the creek so soft that our people were forced to wade
waist-deep on either side of the wagons, lest the wheels sink so far
down that the oxen would not be able to pull the heavy loads across.
Again and again the men laid hold of the wheels, straining every muscle
as the drivers of the cattle urged the patient beasts to their utmost
exertions, and before all our company had crossed that small creek
the day was so nearly at an end that there was nothing left for us to
do save camp once more, although we had traveled only six miles since
setting out.
Then came Sunday morning, when I believed we would remain idle, for
it did not seem right that we should travel on the Lord's day; but, as
father said, while we were making such a long journey it was necessary
to push ahead during every hour of fair weather, and to take our day of
rest only when it was absolutely necessary.
And so, instead of worshiping God as we would have done had we
remained in Pike County, we went forward, fording two small creeks and
journeying over a dull, level plain, whereon, save flowers, nothing was
to be seen to delight the eye.