They were for the prairies, especially the prairies of Kansas.
"Kansas," said Dunlap, "will be one of the great states of the Union, one of these days.

Come with us, and help make it a free state.

We need a hundred thousand young farmers, who believe in liberty, and will fight for it.

Come with us, take up a farm, and carry a Sharp's rifle against the Border Ruffians!" This sounded convincing to me, but of course I couldn't make up my mind to anything of this sort without days and days of consideration; but I listened to what they said.

They told me of an army of free-state emigrants that was gathering along the border to win Kansas for freedom.
They, Dunlap and Thatcher, were going to Marion, Iowa, and from there by the Mormon Trail across to a place called Tabor, and from there to Lawrence, Kansas.