Excerpt from The Prairie Schooner Both breeds were accustomed to no food other than the grasses of the country, upon which they flourished. These included the suc culent bunch grass. Oxen were used in teams of five, six and seven yokes and hauled large canvas-covered wagons built for the purpose in Missouri, Wis consin, Illinois and Indiana. In the larger transportation outfits each team hauled two wagons, a lead and a trailer, and frequently were loaded with from to pounds of freight. These teams were driven by men who were as tough and sturdy as the oxen. Most of the freighting was done in the spring, summer and fall, although several dis astrous attempts were made to continue through the midwinter season to relieve food shortages at the army posts. It may seem strange, but it is nevertheless true, that Indians frequently attacked the very wagon trains that were hauling food to them. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.