THE GEAND COUiNCIL. 45 



tioneering and 'party spirit' would hardly 

 have penetrated so f;ir into the wildei-ness: 

 but so it was. Even in our little community 

 we had our 'office-seekers' and their 'poli- 

 tical adherents/ as earnest and as devoted as 

 any of the modern school of politicians in the 

 midst of civilization. After a great deal of 

 bickering and wordy Avarfare, however, all the 

 'candidates' found it expedient to decline, 

 and a gentleman by the name of Stanley, 

 without seeking, or even desiring tlie 

 'office,' was unanimously proclaimed * Cap- 

 tain of the Caravan.' The powers of this 

 officer were undefined by any 'constitu- 

 tional provision,' and consequently vague 

 and uncertain: oi-ders being only viewed 

 as mere requests, they are often obeyed or 

 neglected at the caprice of the subordi- 

 nates. It is necessary to observe, however, 

 that the captain is expected to direct the order 

 of travel during the day, and to designate the 

 camping-ground at night ; with many other 

 functions of a general character, in the exer- 

 cise of which the company find it convenient 

 to acquiesce. But the httle attention that is 

 paid to his commands in cases of emergency, 

 I will leave the reader to become acquainted 

 with, as I did, by obser^-ing their manifesta- 

 tions during the progress of the expedition. 



But after this comes the principal task of 

 organizmg. The proprietors are first notified 

 by 'proclamation' to furnish a hst of tlieir 

 men and w^agons. The latter are generally 

 apportioned into four ' divisions,' particularly 



