The Covered Wagon | Page 9

ought to have a record of all our
personnel. Each man ought to be required to give his own name and
late residence, and the names of all in his party. He should be obliged

to show that his wagon is in good condition, with spare bolts, yokes,
tires, bows and axles, and extra shoes for the stock. Each wagon ought
to be required to carry anyhow half a side of rawhide, and the usual
tools of the farm and the trail, as well as proper weapons and
abundance of ammunition.
"No man ought to be allowed to start with this caravan with less
supplies, for each mouth of his wagon, than one hundred pounds of
flour. One hundred and fifty or even two hundred would be much
better--there is loss and shrinkage. At least half as much of bacon,
twenty pounds of coffee, fifty of sugar would not be too much in my
own belief. About double the pro rata of the Santa Fé caravans is little
enough, and those whose transport power will let them carry more
supplies ought to start full loaded, for no man can tell the actual
duration of this journey, or what food may be needed before we get
across. One may have to help another."
Even Wingate joined in the outspoken approval of this, and Banion,
encouraged, went on:
"Some other things, men, since you have asked each man to speak
freely. We're not hunters, but home makers. Each family, I suppose, has
a plow and seed for the first crop. We ought, too, to find out all our
blacksmiths, for I promise you we'll need them. We ought to have a
half dozen forges and as many anvils, and a lot of irons for the wagons.
"I suppose, too, you've located all your doctors; also all your
preachers--you needn't camp them all together. Personally I believe in
Sunday rest and Sunday services. We're taking church and state and
home and law along with us, day by day, men, and we're not just
trappers and adventurers. The fur trade's gone.
"I even think we ought to find out our musicians--it's good to have a
bugler, if you can. And at night, when the people are tired and
disheartened, music is good to help them pull together."
The bearded men who listened nodded yet again.

"About schools, now--the other trains that went out, the Applegates in
1843, the Donners of 1846, each train, I believe, had regular schools
along, with hours each day.
"Do you think I'm right about all this? I'm sure I don't want Captain
Wingate to be offended. I'm not dividing his power. I'm only trying to
stiffen it."
Woodhull arose, a sneer on his face, but a hand pushed him down. A
tall Missourian stood before him.
"Right ye air, Will!" said he. "Ye've an old head, an' we kin trust hit. Ef
hit wasn't Cap'n Wingate is more older than you, an' already done
elected, I'd be for choosin' ye fer cap'n o' this here hull train right now.
Seein' hit's the way hit is, I move we vote to do what Will Banion has
said is fitten. An' I move we-uns throw in with the big train, with Jess
Wingate for cap'n. An' I move we allow one more day to git in supplies
an' fixin's, an' trade hosses an' mules an' oxens, an' then we start day
atter to-morrow mornin' when the bugle blows. Then hooray fer
Oregon!"
There were cheers and a general rising, as though after finished
business, which greeted this. Jesse Wingate, somewhat crestfallen and
chagrined over the forward ways of this young man, of whom he never
had heard till that very morning, put a perfunctory motion or so, asked
loyalty and allegiance, and so forth.
But what they remembered was that he appointed as his wagon-column
captains Sam Woodhull, of Missouri; Caleb Price, an Ohio man of
substance; Simon Hall, an Indiana merchant, and a farmer by name of
Kelsey, from Kentucky. To Will Banion the trainmaster assigned the
most difficult and thankless task of the train, the captaincy of the cow
column; that is to say, the leadership of the boys and men whose
families were obliged to drive the loose stock of the train.
There were sullen mutterings over this in the Liberty column. Men
whispered they would not follow Woodhull. As for Banion, he made no
complaint, but smiled and shook hands with Wingate and all his

lieutenants and declared his own loyalty and that of his men; then left
for his own little adventure of a half dozen wagons which he was
freighting out to Laramie--bacon, flour and sugar, for the most part;
each wagon driven by a neighbor or a neighbor's son. Among these
already arose open murmurs of discontent