Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/550

 470 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUXTY ■On returning we had a yoke of oxen attached to a lumber wagon for our means of conveyance as far as Traverse des Sioux. .Mission supplies were sent up to that point in boats, and to convey a load of such supplies to the mission it was necessary for this team to go down at that season, which was in the early part of May. I was entrusted with management of the team and, as I had only a light load, expected to enjoy the trip. The distance, as then traveled, between the two stations was a little over one hundred miles. No human habitation, not even an Indian hut. to be seen all that distance. The streams were forded on this oeeasion without difficulty. Although the water would sometimes reach the backs of the oxen and leak into the wagon box. there was a solid bed for our- team to walk on. Not so accommodating were many of the marshes or sloughs. When once you broke through the turf you went down, at least as far as legs would reach. There seemed to be no bottom. On coming to the edge of a slough it was necessary to halt and reeonnoiter. It was never safe to follow any former track. There the turf would already be broken. If there could be no way found to get around, we ventured in and tried to keep the team upon an untrod way. But just at that season, before the new grass had started, the old turf was very tender and very frequently our team went down, so as to be obliged to wallow. until the wagon fnarrow-rimmed wheels) would sink to the hulis. when the oxen would become discouraged and the whole concern would cease to move. The next thing to do was to "rope out." A strong rope sixty or seventy feet long was an indispensible article to carry coiled up in one corner of the wagon box. Thanks to the more experienced, we were provided with one. 'Unloose the team from the wagon and drive them ahead to a piece of firm ground, fasten, the rope to the end of the tongue and the other end to the ring of the oxyoke. Now you can, perhaps, draw your load out of the mud." This was called "roping out." a process which I had become pretty well accustomed to at the end of this journey. Once we were so completely fast that I had to unyoke the team and let each ox get out by himself. Then I yoked them, but before 1 could get them to draw the wagon out I was obliged to unload and carry the loading to a dry place on my shoulders. I took the wagon box off and the team drew it out first. Then I uncoupled the wheels, and by the strength of the oxen drew each pair out separately." It took time and patience to travel in those days. If I remem- ber rightly, we were eleven days performing that trip, sleeping under our wagon for ten nights in succession. I could never since consider camping-out much of a pleasure. Traveling by canoes and steamboats in those days was a more comfortable mode than