get in, we hooked up the
mules. Honeyman had the _remuda_ in hand to start the minute our
herders returned, their change of mounts being already tied to the
wagon wheels. The need of haste was very imperative, for the river
might rise without an hour's notice, and a two-foot rise would drown
every hoof in the river as well as cut us off from our wagon. The
South Canadian has its source in the Staked Plains and the mountains
of New Mexico, and freshets there would cause a rise here, local
conditions never affecting a river of such width. Several of us had
seen these Plains rivers,--when the mountain was sportive and dallying
with the plain,--under a clear sky and without any warning of falling
weather, rise with a rush of water like a tidal wave or the stream
from a broken dam. So when our men from herd galloped in, we stripped
their saddles from tired horses and cinched them to fresh ones, while
they, that there might be no loss of time, bolted their dinners. It
took us less than an hour to reach the ford, where we unloaded the
wagon of everything but the chuck-box, which was ironed fast. We had
an extra saddle in the wagon, and McCann was mounted on a good horse,
for he could ride as well as cook. Priest and I rode the river,
selecting a route; and on our return, all five of us tied our lariats
to the tongue and sides of the wagon. We took a running start, and
until we struck the farther bank we gave the wagon no time to sink,
but pulled it out of the river with a shout, our horses' flanks
heaving. Then recrossing the river, we lashed all the bedding to four
gentle saddle horses and led them over. But to get our provisions
across was no easy matter, for we were heavily loaded, having taken on
a supply at Doan's sufficient to last us until we reached Dodge, a
good month's journey. Yet over it must go, and we kept a string of
horsemen crossing and recrossing for an hour, carrying everything from
pots and pans to axle grease, as well as the staples of life. When we
had got the contents of the wagon finally over and reloaded, there
remained nothing but crossing the saddle stock.

The wagon mules had been turned loose, harnessed, while we were
crossing the wagon and other effects; and when we drove the _remuda_
into the river, one of the wheel mules turned back, and in spite of
every man, reached the bank again. Part of the boys hurried the others
across, but McCann and I turned back after our wheeler. We caught him
witho