Soon all the swimmers were across.
They could now see that there were two trains on that side and that the farther one had already begun to move and was about a mile in advance of the nearest one, Doty said something must be done, and although they only were clothed in undershirts they approached the nearest camp and were handed some overalls for temporary use.

The men in this camp on hearing about the missing oxen said the fellows in the forward train went over and got them, for, as they said there were no wagons in sight and they must be strays.

He said the forward train was from Tennessee, and that they had some occasion to doubt their honesty and had refused to travel with them any further.

They said they were all old Missourians, and did not want other people's property and if the boys found their cattle with the Tenneseans, and wanted any help to get them back again to call on them, and putting in some good strong swear words for emphasis.
The boys, barefooted and with only overalls and shirts, started after the moving train which they called to a halt when overtaken.

The coarse grass was pretty hard to hurry through, clothed as they were.