CHAPTER XI 

 WE REACH FORT LARNED 



""VTOW, men,'* said old Tom as we gathered 

 -*■ ^ around the mess box for breakfast next 

 morning, "we want to get an early start for we've 

 got a big drive before us. It's only about thirty- 

 eight miles from here to Fort Earned, but that's 

 too much to do with a load in one day; an' we 

 can't divide the distance equally because there's 

 no water anywhere nigh the half-way p'int. By 

 takin' the river road we could get water to camp 

 at the half-way station, but that route, by way of 

 the mouth of Pawnee Fork, would take us four 

 miles out of our way, an' part of it's a sandy, 

 heavy road for the team. So I've concluded it'll 

 be best for us to go the main road by Pawnee 

 Rock an' camp at Ash Creek. That'll make 

 about twenty-nine miles for to-day's drive, an' 

 then we'll only have nine miles to-morrow mornin' 

 to knock off to reach the fort. We can easy do 

 that by the middle of the forenoon, an' have the 

 rest of the day to look up some old acquaintances 

 there an' make some inquiries about the best 

 p'int over on Walnut to locate our winter camp 

 an' how best to get there. Ef French Dave, the 



III 



