I borrowed from my neighbor, Caleb May, two additional yoke of oxen, but they only knew how to pull in a big freighting team, and were not leaders.

But putting my own heavy oxen behind, my wild steers in the middle, and my horse in the lead, I made out a good freighting team.

But I had to pass through Atchison.

The business men of the place had already made this overture to me.

They had said: "You can come to Atchison during the day time and we will guarantee that you shall not be molested, but we would rather you should not be here in the night.