ed its banks into treacherous inclines slippery with mud.
When the mean-spirited teams had been hooked to the wagons and sullenly
obeyed the commands to move, they balked in mid-stream and would not
cross it in their "cold collars;" and there they remained, halfway over.
In vain the drivers shouted and swore and whipped; in vain they pleaded
and in vain they called for help. The main part of the caravan, for once
united in spirit, perhaps because it was a mean one, went on without
them, knowing that the recalcitrant rear guard was in no danger; the
sullen spirit of meanness in every heart rejoicing in the lesson being
learned by their stubborn fellow travelers. The captain would have held
up the whole train to give necessary assistance to any unfortunate
wagoner; but there was no necessary assistance required here, for they
could extricate themselves if they went about it right; and there was a
much-needed lesson to be assimilated. Their predicament secretly pleased
every member of the main body, which was somewhat humorous, when it is
considered that the great majority of the men in the main body had no
scruples against disobeying any order that did not suit their mood.

Finally, enraged by being left behind, the stubborn wagoners remembered
one of the reasons advanced by the captain the day before when he had
urged them to cross over and complete the corral. He had spoken of the
difficulty of getting the animals to attempt a hard pull in "cold
collars," when they would do the work without pausing while they were
"warmed up." So after considerable eloquence and persistent urging had
availed them naught, the disgruntled wagoners jumped into the cold
water, waded to the head of the teams and, turning them around, got
them back onto the bank they had left after vainly trying to lead them
across. Once out of the creek, the teams were driven over a circle a
mile in circumference to get their "collars warm." Approaching the creek
at a good pace, the teams crossed it without pausing and slipped and
floundered up the muddy bank at the imminent risk of overturning the
wagons. Reaching the top, they started after the plodding caravan and in
due time overtook it and found their allotted places in the lines, to
some little sarcastic laughter. Never after that did those wagoners
refuse to cross any stream at camp time, while their teams were warmed
up and willing to pull; but instead of giving the captain any credit for
his urging a