OUR PAIITY BREAKS UP. 237 



In dry weather, when they have gone for some hours without 

 water, they are the most obstinate animals in the world, mules 

 being nowhere when compared with them. On one occasion 

 as we neared Fort Smith, we had gone from morning until late 

 in the afternoon, finding no water and passing no house where 

 we could have got it from a well, so that the oxen were very 

 thirsty and their tongues were hanging out, when suddenly we 

 came on a large pond having a bank on our side of it, and in 

 one minute, in spite of all we could do, they were over the 

 bank and into the water, which came almost over their backs, 

 the bed of the waggon being submerged and most of our things 

 wet through. It was impossible to go back, so they had to be 

 forced through the pond, which fortunately became no deeper. 



When about seven or eight miles from Fort Smith we 

 camped in a very pretty spot to allow our horses to recover 

 from their fatigue, and after a stay of some days we had them 

 taken into the place where sales were always held, which was 

 a large open space in the middle of the town. A large crowd 

 collected seemingly to decry our animals, and everything sold 

 very badly ; but we were obliged to let things go, as we wanted 

 to get away and had a long journey before us, and wished to 

 reach the mountains before the winter set in. I retained the 

 stallion and mare, meaning to take them with me. 



From Fort Smith we went by rail to White River, and down 



that to Memphis, where our party broke up. H remained 



there. F and I went north, and the men were paid off 



and left behind. I was very much surprised to hear years 

 afterwards that one of them had gone into a lawyer's office 

 and that he is now a lawyer in St. Louis and doing very well, 

 and another had set up as a butcher in Chicago. 



