culty.

One of the few things they were grateful for was the fact that they did
not have to keep regular guard watches at night, for while the Kaws and
Osages might steal an animal or two in hope of receiving a little
whiskey, powder, or tobacco for its return, there was no danger of
wholesale stampeding, and a man or two was sufficient to watch the camp.

One pleasant incident occurred when they pulled in sight of Switzler's
Creek, where they found another section of the caravan in camp. The
augmented train now numbered about twenty-six wagons and formed a rear
guard worthy of the name. The weather had cleared again and the sun
shone brightly all the way to Council Grove. To offset the pleasant
effect of joining the other train, it was at Switzler's Creek that a
hard-pushed mule train overtook them. With it came the little Mexican
and half a dozen of his compatriots, and several of Ephriam
Schoolcraft's chosen bullies. At their appearance Hank Marshall found a
new interest in life, and there was very little occurring in the new
mule train that he missed. His habits now became a little similar to
those of the cat tribe, for he resorted to his old trick of dozing while
riding, catching naps at the noonings, before dark and after dawn. With
him awake at night and Tom awake during the day, and with Jim Ogden's
and Zeb Houghton's nocturnal prowlings thrown in the balance, it looked
as though Hank's remark about "nobody ketchin' these beavers asleep"
would be fully justified.

Council Grove was reached one noon, and they learned that they would
have plenty of time to do the many little things neglected on the way,
for they would stay here two days. This was welcome news, as it gave
them an opportunity to let the draft animals rest and feed well in
preparation for the long prairie haul ahead.

Council Grove of the caravan days is worthy of notice. It was the
meeting place as well as the council place for those who were to cross
the prairies together. To it ran the feeding roads, gradually growing as
strands feed a rope, the loose and frayed ends starting from the
Missouri River points and converging as they neared the grove. Named
from a council and a treaty which took place there between a government
commission sent out to survey a wagon road to the Arkansas River, and a
tribe of Osages, in which safety for the traders was obtained from these
savages, it was doubly well named because of the yearly councils which
were hel