The rain had ceased falling, but there was a
mist in the air, blown from the trees that lined the road. Those of
the circus men who were compelled to ride outside the wagons were
clothed in their rubber coats; their more fortunate companions slept
under cover on the pole wagons, on top of the seat wagons, or in
stretchers swung beneath the property wagons or cages. Others, still
more fortunate, slept in property or trunk vans, or in the band
chariots. The leading performers and officials, including all of the
women, traveled by train. The gamblers, pickpockets and fakirs got
along as best they could from town to town by stealing passage on the
freight trains. Times there were, however, when the entire aggregation
traveled with the caravan. On such occasions the luckless roustabout
gave up his precarious bedroom to the "ladies" and sat all night in
dubious solitude atop of his lodging house. These emergencies were
infrequent: they arose only when railroad facilities were not to be
had, or--alas! when the exchequer was depleted.
On this murky night the performers remained over in S--, to take an
early train for the next stand.
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