Now, to save time the scouts in advance often strayed from the winding California Road, cutting through pastures and fields, and leading the column over paths and lanes. But in the dark, among the woods, the work was slow. At length, a boy was taken from his home and forced to act as guide. Several people along the route became uneasy. At Hesper, ten miles southeast of Lawrence, some heard the horsemen and quickly guessed the worst. A child was forbidden by his father to saddle and ride to the town. Because of his team’s exhaustion, a farmer who might have gone didn’t. One woman did send a servant rushing north to Eudora. But for most, their sleep was unbroken and others who were awakened suspected nothing. Alarm might have spread had anyone discovered the list. The identity of the riders, their destination, and their purpose would have been clear then. Someone in the column dropped a scrap of paper while passing a farmyard. Had anyone found the note and struck a match they would have seen a long row of names—prominent Kansans mostly.
