It was a different group of men on the road with me the next day. They had all been blooded and suddenly understood the reasoning behind all the things we had drilled into them. We were four days from home and only had two minor rivers to ford before we got there.

Most of these guys didn’t see it as home, it was still just the ‘Promised Land’ to them; but it would be home quickly enough, it was plain to see they intended to make that happen. Nothing could make me happier. I’ve always believed in changing the world one life at a time and here I was, giving forty people a new, fresh, and free start.

The Kansa had shown us a good fording spot just a few miles upriver and we managed the crossing without notable incident and we were on our way again. These men had all matured during this trip and the final few days passed without anything of note. The crew managed the herds and themselves as if they were old hands and been doing this for years.

We actually had a few budding ‘cowboys’ in the bunch. There were a couple of fellas who just seemed naturally attuned to the herds and loved being horseback. You could see it in the steeds they chose and the manner in which they rode; a few seemed to be actually able to talk to the herd and get them to follow. One of the young Jewish guys definitely wasn’t following in his father's banking footsteps; that lad was rider and a fighter from the word ‘Go.’ He started to gravitate towards my little group, day by day, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of that.

His name was ‘Abraham’ and he went by ‘Abe.’ He was a good-sized lad and looked to be about seventeen but I never asked. He was also devout and spent a portion of every evening in his books, the rest of the time he was simply full of questions, energy and youthful appetite. I couldn’t wait to see the girl this one took up with.

The summer heat was stifling and come mid-day everyone was drowsing in the saddle or on the hoof, even the most rambunctious young heifer or colt settled into that dull-eyed walk. We spent a lot of time at streams and had to fight to keep the herd out of the trees, since they were gravitating to cool shady areas.

We made earlier starts each morning and pushed on into the cooling evening dusk to make up for our lost time. Regardless, we ended up falling behind schedule a little as every afternoon found us in a cool shady area to escape the heat wave.

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Rain finally came at the end of the third day, it was muggy and steamy, but no person or animal attempted to escape the cooling downfall. The temperature dropped and stayed down as the sun fell and we finally got a good night’s sleep, which was very welcome. That rain continued on and off for the next two days, but never got heavy enough to turn the trail into muck. We crossed the Nemaha in that gentle summer rain.

Pete was there to greet us at the crossing. My guys had the experience and took the herd across without losing any stock. Our guy in the travois got a bath but even being soaked was worth having made it. I gathered the crew around and welcomed them, telling them this was our land and this was our home. I held off on any extended speeches. It was late in the day and we needed to set up camp; tomorrow, we’d ride into Rulo.

We relaxed and took it easy that night, Pete’s scouts were all around and the herd wasn’t going anywhere. Everybody got a full belly followed by a full night’s sleep, the rain kept the temperature cool enough to require a blanket at night. It was a welcome situation and I slept very well. Somehow I knew that tomorrow the game would start again, there would be no more riding along and chatting with Sheriff, Amos or Jeb. No more brotherly practical jokes and unstructured conversation; laughter would be hard to come by and Rulo would now contain more than one hundred people. I was their de facto leader, whether I liked it or not. Frankly, I was sick of being in charge.

**** ****

Morning came and we took our time. Yes, I had that second cup of coffee and relaxed a little longer. We knew the boats weren’t in yet and that tempered the edge on the crew a little bit, we relaxed a half hour longer than normal before we started.

We were a half an hour away from the Rulo herds when the cattle caught sniff of the other herd and started to sound for them. The horses were much the same and started getting antsy, about fifteen minutes out the horses started calling as well.

We just let the two herds come together. We only cut out any young bulls or stallions that we didn’t want in there causing problems. That was a piece of work in itself but young Abe showed off his talent and we had a small herd of five frustrated critters penned into a small corral that had been set up down at the head of Rulo road.

This was where I caught my first glimpse of the progress that had been made in my absence. Of course, Michelle was there to welcome me with Mouse by her side and I did get hugs and kisses, lots of both. It was nice.

They had built a small cabin down here for the cowboys to stay in while they watched the herds. There were also two corrals to separate animals out, when necessary. There was the start of a barn going up and it was all beginning to look quite domesticated. A far cry from the tent and campfire setup I had seen here last.

The surprises were only just beginning.