his two
front wheels and had "borrowed" about all the wire and hoop-iron his
friends felt disposed to give him. He had driven so many pieces of iron
between the felloes and the tires that daylight could be seen between
the two; and on topping a little hill between two ravines near the river
bank one of the tires slipped off and went rolling and bounding down the
slope onto the dry river bed. Amid roars of laughter the column stopped
until he had recovered it and re-wedged it onto the wheel, and at the
next nooning stop he drove the wagon into a trickle of water running
down the middle of the river bed and spent most of his time backing and
pulling to get every part of the wheels soaked.

A strong body of scouts which had pushed on ahead of the column
returned shortly after the noon camp had been left, and reported that
about ten miles farther on a section of the river several hundred yards
long was full of water. Not being able to make the Middle Spring that
day, this wet section of the river was decided upon for the night camp.
A score of mounted men were sent on ahead to scour the country for signs
of Indians, but became so hungry for the numerous kinds of wild fruits
and berries along the sides of the ravines, that they did their work
poorly and did not reach the proposed camp site much before the caravan
got there.

The country was cut by a maze of ravines and gullies and studded with
small hills, little pastures of excellent grass nestling between them.
As the wagons filed down a narrow road onto a pasture fronting on the
Cimarron a plainsman, who had pushed on ahead of the caravan because he
doubted the seriousness and intelligence of the scouting party, was seen
dashing down to the farther bank of the river and splashing across it
without checking the speed of his horse.

One look at him was enough for Woodson, and the sharp blast of the bugle
cut the air. Wagoners whipped their tired teams into the best speed they
could give and the clatter and screeching of the rumbling wagons filled
the air as they raced around into the circular formation. The scout
barely had left the river and the wagons still were forming when over
the crest of a hill across the stream appeared a mass of horsemen, their
lances standing like drunken pickets against the sky. No need to ask
what tribe they belonged to, for the hint conveyed by their lances soon
was endorsed by their fantastic two-color blankets, one half red and the
other