“No,” Braden admitted, “I ain’t. Only,” he winked, “I hear a few things.”
“You tell ’em, too, I reckon,” Jeb Stark said.
Braden seemed not to hear. He glanced around at the group, slapping himself emphatically on the stomach. “Well, tonight’s the big night! Election! Don’t reckon there’s any party lines here, but it’s a mighty big thing, choosin’ a leader. A captain, that is. We sure want to pick somebody who has the confidence of the leaders of this outfit. Then everything will go along much better.”
“I wonder who that would be?” Hardy asked innocently.
“Well,” Braden was thoughtful, “Stark here would be a good man, Harless another. Needs a man free of a wagon, of course, an’ I reckon both Stark an’ Harless are tied down.”
“That lets you out too, doesn’t it?” Hardy suggested.
“Matter of fact,” Braden admitted, “it doesn’t. I got me a good driver. He’s helpin’ with another wagon today, but actually he’s with me. He’ll be over before election time tonight. Name of Bunker.”
“Looks like you might be the likely choice for captain, then,” Hardy suggested gravely. “That is, if you have the confidence of the leaders. How do you stand with Colonel Pearson?”
Braden glanced around wisely, then held up two fingers. “Like that!” he stated emphatically. “We understand each other, the Colonel an’ me!”
“Well,” Hardy said, “that sure is a relief to get that problem settled. Sure takes a load off my mind. Wouldn’t do to get the wrong man as captain.” He glanced around at Murphy. “Say, that reminds me: what ever happened to that wagon boss we had out of Fort Phil Kearney that time? The one we didn’t like?”
Murphy scowled thoughtfully. “That one? Why, sure! He was the one I shoved off the seat when we were swimmin’ the river durin’ flood. I sure hated to do it, but it saved shootin’.”
“That ain’t the one.” Ban was insistent. “I mean that tall one, with the sandy beard.”
“Oh, him?” Murphy slapped his leg. “Hell, how could you forget him? That was the one we tied on the buffalo bull! Last we seen of him was that bull, tearin’ off with the herd, an’ that wagon captain tied stark naked atop him! I reckon he’s goin’ yet!”
Stark stirred the fire, and Braden stared at first one and then the other. “You’re funnin’?” he suggested.
“Funnin’?” Murphy looked up. “Of course we was funnin’! Got to do something along the trail for laughs! When you got a wagon boss you don’t like, get shet of him, quickest way you know how!”
Aaron Stark took the pipe from his mouth and glanced over at the tall young driver sitting beside Bill Shedd. “You’re Tolliver, eh? Any kin to the Tollivers of Sandy Run?”
Tolliver glanced up. “Yep, sure thing. We’re full cousins. You know ’em?”
“I should smile! My wife’s sister married up with Clyde.”
“That would be Aunt Jane, then? That makes us practic’ly kinfolks.”
“I reckon.”
“Well,” Braden suggested, “when election comes tonight we sure better pick the right man. Don’t know,” he said with a glance at Hardy, “if I’d care to be captain of this outfit, treatin’ wagon bosses the way you do, still, if I’m elected, I’ll serve. I’ll sure do the best I know how to keep us at the head of the train all the time, too!”
When they were mounting their wagons again, Stark glanced at Bardoul. ‘Talkative sort of feller, ain’t he?”
Matt grinned. “Kind of. Reckon he’d sure like to be boss of this company.”
“Reckon he would,” Stark agreed. “Reckon that’s what he was sent for.”
“Ro-o-l-l-l out! Roll ’em o-o-over!”
The call swept down the line of wagons, picked up by many voices, and once more the oxen leaned against the harness and the wagons began to move.
In some respects the prospects for the wagon train could not have been improved. The time of year was good, although water would be scarce for the spring rains were far behind and the fall rains had not yet begun, however, the prairies would be firm and the hauling not too heavy.
Trouble with the Indians was possible but improbable. Only a short time before Crazy Horse had surrendered, closely followed by the surrender of Two Moons and Lame Deer. Of the wild Indians, only Sitting Bull, the medicine man who aspired to be a war chief, remained free, and he had escaped to Canada. American Horse was dead, and Dull Knife of the Cheyennes was helpless to offer any opposition. Red Cloud, who had once compelled the Army to abandon the forts along the Bozeman Trail, had become a reservation Indian, occasionally going east on lecture tours.
A few young braves might kill a straggler if any was found, or drive off some stock, but the prospects of any organized band being large enough to attack the sixty-two wagons of the train seemed out of the question now.
Trouble, if there was to be any, must spring from within the wagon train itself.
Twice, Matt sighted Jacquine Coyle, and each time she was well ahead of the wagons, riding beside Clive Massey. He saw no evidence of Logan Deane.
Pearson, of course, was always in sight. Astride his magnificent bay he made a commanding figure of a man, fully conscious of the effect he created.
The sod was firm, and as the four columns of wagons kept well apart, the travelling was fairly good. This route had not been used before, so the grass was long and the sod over much of the way was solid enough so that dust was late in starting. Several times when Matt was near his own wagons he saw young Tolliver glancing back toward the rear of the train.
When he caught Matt watching him, he waved, but kept his eyes to the front as long as Matt was in sight. His actions puzzled Bardoul. Had Tolliver had trouble in Spearfish or Deadwood? Was he expecting to be pursued? Certainly, his actions gave every evidence of it.
Once, sighting an antelope, Matt rode away from the column long enough to kill it. He brought the fresh meat back to the wagons and passed it to Sarah Stark. She smiled at him. “I guess we won’t starve none!”
She was a pretty girl, and Matt had noticed the way Ban Hardy kept his eyes on her. He chuckled, and grinned at the girl. “Sary, you’d better keep your eyes open! There’s a young cowhand on this wagon train who’s lookin’ you over!”
“Let him look!” she said, with spirit. Then, her curiosity aroused, she asked quickly: “Who do you mean?”
“Ban Hardy, that Texas trail driver. I hear those Texans are plumb romantic. Of course, he probably sees you’re all taken up with that Braden fellow.”
“Braden?” Sary was aghast. “Why, I’m no such thing! Wherever did you get that idea? Why, if he was the last man on earth … !” She snorted indelicately. “Him! Of all people!”
When they circled for camp that night they had made eighteen miles. It was a good day’s travel, neither the best nor the worst a wagon train could expect.
Clive Massey rode up during supper. “All of you come over to the Coyle wagon when you’ve eaten.” He glanced at Braden, a faintly questioning look, then rode away.
Ernie Braden was being very expansive. He offered his tobacco pouch around, and the men by the fire gravely helped themselves. When he held forth at some length on his past experiences with wagon trains they listened respectfully, and said little.
Finally, Murphy got up and rubbed his hands on his buckskins. “Might as well go over,” he said, “this is where we get the lowdown.”
Brian Coyle had taken his stand behind a barrel, as before. Behind him, Colonel Pearson waited, standing at ease. Clive Massey conversed in low tones with Jacquine. Some of the men sat around cross legged, and the others filled in behind them.
“You’ve all seen the gold we had,” Coyle began abruptly, “beyond that you’ve made this trip on faith. Now to announce our destination, and I doubt if it will mean much to you. It certainly meant nothing to me. We are going to the forks of Shell Creek, the other side of the Big Horn Mountains. That’s where the gold was found.”
A low murmur went through the gathered men, but the talk died when Coyle began to speak again.
“In any such group as this there is certain to be some trouble, so as is the procedure in any well regulated community we have appointed a man whose duty it will be to maintain order. That appointment fell upon Clive Massey. I hope you will all give him your utmost cooperation.”
There were a few scattered cheers, but most of the men held their silence. Brian Coyle glanced around, then continued, “He has named ten men who will assist him in maintaining order, with Logan Deane as his second in command.”