All the
rest of the wagons would drive up forming a circle, with the teams
on the inside of the corrall, and the back or hind ends of the
wagons pointing outwards. The two hindmost teams would now swing
together as in the front, closing the rear gap in the circle. This
also served the purpose of a pen in which to run the stock in the
event of an attack, thus preventing the possibility of a stampede.
Our object in drilling the teamsters was to teach them how to form
a corrall quickly in case of an attack while under way.
After drilling a while we told the committee to select eight men
from their train to assist in scouting, we preferring young men
with horses of their own or such as could get horses, and those
men to be exempt from guard duty except in cases of emergency.
They proceeded at once to select the eight men for assistant
scouts, after which we told them to appoint a sergeant, or
whatever they chose to call him, to command, respectively, every
platoon of twenty men, the hundred and forty being organized in
such squads.
This was the hardest task, apparently, for the committee, as no
one wanted to serve in that capacity, each one having some excuse
or other, but they finally completed the appointments and then Jim
said to me:
"Now, Will, you take entire charge of the scouts, and I will take
charge of the balance of the men," telling me that in the day time
on the move he would assist me in scouting all he could, but after
the train was corralled to handle the scouts to suit myself.
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