se to follow in case of sudden need to corral the
caravan. For corralling while traveling in two columns, he instructed
the drivers to follow the wagon ahead and to stop when his own wagon
tongue came even with the rim of the rear wheel of the wagon he was
following. In case of corralling in face of danger, they were to swing
their teams to the inside of the leading wagon, so as to have all the
animals on the inside of the corral; in ordinary camping they were to
swing their teams in the other direction, so the animals would be ready
to graze outside of the corralled wagons. They were to pay no attention
to direction or to sudden inspirations, but were blindly to follow the
wagon in front of them and to close up the gaps. The leading driver of
each column would set the curving track which would bring the wagons
into a great ellipse or a circle while moving in the two column
formation.

The first and fourth columns were commanded by Jim Ogden and Tom Boyd,
while the two inner columns were under a trader named Haviland and a
sullen, mean-tempered trader of Independence and a warm friend of
Schoolcraft. His name was Franklin, and while his personal attributes
were unpleasant and he was a leader of the Schoolcraft element, he was
a first class caravan man and had proved his coolness and
resourcefulness in many a tight place. His appointment also served in a
measure to placate the rebellious element, which nursed the thought that
it could do about as it pleased in its own column. Whether they were
right or wrong in this remained to be seen. While the two column
formation was in use the first and second divisions made up one of them;
the third and fourth, the other. To Tom's delight he found that the
Cooper wagons had been assigned to his own division; but as an offset to
this two wagons belonging to gallivanting tenderfeet had been placed
directly behind them. It was not pleasant to think of these dandified
city sports being so close to Patience Cooper all the way to Santa Fe.
Like many men in love, he was prone to discount the intelligence and
affections of the loved one and to let his fears threaten his common
sense.

The first great watch went on duty at seven o'clock that night, more for
the purpose of breaking the men in to their work than for any need of
defense, for no Indian troubles, despite the rumors afloat in
Independence, were to be looked for so far east. There was a great deal
of joking and needless challeng