Bennett and Arcane were emphatic in their belief and expressions that we would succeed, “I know it—­Don’t you Sally?” said Bennett very cheerfully, but after all Mrs. Bennett could not answer quite as positively, but said “I hope so.”—­Mrs. Bennett’s maiden name was Sarah Dilley, which I mention here as I may otherwise forget it afterward.  She realized that hers was no easy place to ride, that they would have hard fare at best, and that it must be nearly or quite a month before they could reach a fertile spot on which to place her feet.  One could easily see that the future looked quite a little dark to her, on account of her children, as a mother naturally would.

High overhead was the sun, and very warm indeed on that day in the fore part of February 1850, when the two children were put on Old Crump to see if he would let them ride.  The two small children were placed in the pockets on each side, face outward, and they could stand or sit as they should choose.  George and Melissa were placed on top and given hold of the strap that was to steady them in their place.  I now led up Mrs. Bennett’s ox and Mr. Bennett helped his wife to mount the animal, on whose back as soft a seat as possible had been constructed.  Mrs. Arcane in her ribbons was now helped to her seat on the back of Old Brigham and she carefully adjusted herself to position, and arranged her dress and ornaments to suit, then took hold of the strap that served to hold on by as there were no bridles on these two.

Rogers led the march with his ox; Bennett and I started the others along, and Arcane followed with Old Crump and the children.  Bennett and Arcane took off their hats and bade the old camp good bye.  The whole procession moved, and we were once more going toward our journey’s end we hoped.  The road was sandy and soft, the grade practically level, and everything went well for about four miles, when the pack on one of the oxen near the lead got loose and and turned over to one side, which he no sooner saw thus out of position, then he tried to get away from it by moving sidewise.  Not getting clear of the objectionable load in this way he tried to kick it off, and thus really got his foot in it, making matters worse instead of better.  Then he began a regular waltz and bawled at the top of his voice in terror.  Rogers tried to catch him but his own animal was so frisky that he could not hold him and do much else, and the spirit of fear soon began to be communicated to the others and soon the whole train seemed to be taken crazy.

They would jump up high and then come down, sticking their fore feet as far as possible into the sand after which, with elevated tails, and terrible plunges would kick and thrash and run till the packs came off, when they stopped apparently quite satisfied.  Mrs. Bennett slipped off her ox as quick as she could, grabbed her baby from the pocket on Old Crump, and shouting to Melissa and George to jump, got her family