s were four inches wide. The last wagon disappeared up
the trail in the dust and darkness.

"Well," said Jack, "I think when I start out driving at this
time of night with twenty-two guileless oxen and four ten-ton
wagons that I'll want to get somewhere pretty badly." Then we
went back to the Rattletrap.

X: AMONG THE MOUNTAINS

After we got back to the Rattletrap we promised ourselves
plenty of Sport the next day watching the freighters with their
long teams and wagon trains. Jack could not recover from his
first glimpse of Henderson.

"Rather a neat little turnout to take a young lady out
driving with," he said, after we had gone to bed. "Twenty-two
oxen and four wagons. Plenty of room. Take along her father and
mother. And the rest of the family. And her school-mates. And the
whole town. Good team to go after the doctor with if somebody was
sick--mile and a half an hour. That trotting-cow man at Yankton
ought to come up here and show Henderson a little speed. Still, I
dare say Henderson could beat Old Browny on a good day for
sleeping, and when he didn't have Blacky to pall him along."

But we got small sight of the trail the next day, as the rain
we had left behind came upon us again in greater force than ever.
It began toward morning, and when we looked out, just as it was
becoming light, we found it coming down in sheets--"cold, wet
sheets," as Ollie said, too. The horses stood huddled together,
wet and chilled. We got on our storm-coats and led them up to a
house a sort distance away, which proved to be Smith's ranch.
There we found large, dry sheds, under which we put them and
where they were very glad to go. Once back in the cabin of the
Rattletrap, we scarcely ventured out again.

It certainly wasn't a very cheerful day. We would not have
minded the rain much, because we were dry enough; but the cold
was disagreeable, and we were obliged to wear our overcoats all
day. We could watch the road from the front of the wagon, and saw
a number of freighters go by, usually with empty wagons, as it
soon became too muddy for those with loads. We saw one
fourteen-ox team with four wagons, and another man with twelve
oxen and three wagons. There were also a number of mule teams,
and we noticed one of twelve mules and five wagons, and several
of ten mules and three or four wagons. With these the driver
always rode the nigh wheel animal--that is, the left-hand rear
one.

"I'm going to p