FLURRY AMONG THE OXEN. 53 



reason is, that, even supposing the contingency 

 of rain does not occur, teams will rarely pull 

 as well in ' cold collars,' as wagoners term it 

 that is, when fresh geared — as in the progress 

 of a day's travel. When a heavy pull is just at 

 hand in the morning, wagoners sometimes re- 

 sort to the expedient of driving a circuit upon 

 the prairie, before venturing to ' take the bank.* 

 We experienced a temporary alarm during 

 tlie evening, while we lay encamped at Cot- 

 tonwood, which was rather more boisterous 

 than serious in its consequences. The wa- 

 gons had been ' formed' across the neck of a 

 bend in the creek, into which the cattle were 

 turned, mostly in their yokes; for though, 

 when thoroughly trained, teamsters usually 

 unyoke their oxen every night, yet at first 

 they often leave them coupled, to save the 

 trouble of re-yoking them in their unruly 

 state. A httle after dark, these animals started 

 simultaneously, with a thundering noise and 

 rattle of the yokes, towards the outlet protect- 

 ed by the wagons, but for which obstacle they 

 might have escaped far into the prairie, and 

 have been irrecoverably lost, or, at least, have 

 occasioned much trouble and delay to re- 

 cover them. The cause of the fright was 

 not discovered; but oxen are exceedingly 

 whimsical creatures when surrounded by un- 

 famihar objects. One wdil sometimes take 

 a fright at the jingle of his own yoke-irons, 

 or the cough of his mate, and, by a sudden 

 flounce, set the whole herd in a flui'ry. This 

 iyas probably the case in the present instance ; 



5 



