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Show 12' .Notes By the Way. wind is b]o,ving, and appearances indicate a severe storm during the night, so every thing is secured a~1d fitted up in expectation of it. · Good campground with all things ne·cessa1•y. 23- miles. ranches scattered hero and there by the way, the journey 'vill be for sorne distance ahead by no n1eans a lonesome one. Our can1p this evening is on the prairie, which looses itself ou ev~ry side. Camped early, after· lessening the distance 20 1niles. IIere -vve found wood, water, grass and-mosquitoes. CAMP 15, J U:NE 23 :-A deetdcd improven1ent in tho appearan co of the. CAMP 12., JuNE· 20 :-Again have· vve country. As we leave the rivel." and camped along the Platte. The road ascend hij£her land, it assumes a better in the fore111oon vvas not one of the aspeet. ~verythi:ng needs rain badly; best, being very sandy in places. Cross- crops ar'e p·oor for the ·want of it, and ed Loupe· FoTk river by ferry. It vvas grass is 'iVitheTed for the lack of proper an exceeding crazy, shamn1y concern, sustenance·. During the f<Yrenoon the hardly fit to be dignified by the name sun shone intensely hot; but in the afof ferry; ht1:t what there vvaA we were ternoon clouded up with a pleasant obliged to acc·ept, and as the opposite wind. Cam·ped to-night on a broad shore was re-ached in safety, we pro- level plain, somewhat remota from the nounced it good enough, and pass it river, at which we are well pleased, as by. The boat crossed nearly half vvay the myriads of musquitoes have been over the river.. It seemed ~ike paying an excessive annoyance vvhile we have ~3,50 foe forchng, the ferry1ng t~1rown camped a1ong its borders. R.oad very· 111. ~ood road~ on th.e \vest s1d~ of good. :B..,orded Wood river, but a sm·all the nver. Th1s evening us6d nver · sha1lo'v stream. Good place to cam·p.· water f~r the first ti1ne. Water a 25 miles. little stained. Good calnp-gronnd.Plenty cooking materials, and feed for animals. Advanced 24 mjles. CAMP 16, JUNE 24 :-Cam'Ped about one mile from the river, opposite Ft. Kearney, distant 3! miles. Roads-good, with an occasional sltre. The· weatb er intensely hot. We have now reached the second haven of our hopes, and whether they will be realized or' no, remains to be seen. Camped in a very good situation, in com·pany with several trains bound ou the same· mis-· sion with ourselves. Found water· and grass, but vvas obliged to purchase fuel at one dime per stick of cord-wood length. Traveled 25 miles. CAMP 13, JUNE 21 :-No chang-e in the scenery to-day. For a time in the n1orning found good roads. The Platte at this season of the year overfio ·ws its banks, anu in so doing softened the road to sueh an extent that for a short distance they cut up badly. Our mul~s dragged us through, and it was a rehef to reach hard Jand again.Camped by the river, and atnusod ourselve~ by shooting at birds. Pass~ ble stopping place. Water plenty, grass meagre, wood scarce. 21 miles. JUNE 25 :--The river bein (J' very' high, for~ing or ferrying is very diffi ... CAMP 14, SuNDAY, JUNE 22 :-As cult at this season of the year. It is· we were unable to find a fittin o- place about 3 n1ile:s wide runs · 1 at which t t t d · bb , In severa o s op oy-er o- ay, It ecame chanels, with a rapid current. Hired necessary to contiue our march over conveyance to cross at the moderate anoth~r Sabbath, It. was a matter of charge of $3, 00, to go to the Post Ofhcessity, not of ~boice, and we t~ust fice at the Fort, in hopes that we should t at not often Will euch .a:Iternat1yes hear something from home, al11o from ~ccur. At the present wr1t1ng a high him who, above all others, we desire to see. The difficulties attending the of villages of \vha't are· known as "pra-voyacrr~ ,u1"th i.ts results, are deen1ed a ieie doo-s." Sever~tl were shot at bu-t morebf it' ti,n,. crsnbject for a notc,,v h"1 c b missed<.:? We saw~1s otl1 es1~ e1e to nso f will be fou~d appendcJ belovv. * so Ale buffa1os by the way. Several '~ . times has it clouded up, with he'a"vy CAMP 17, JuNE 26 :-Started 1n goo<! thunder and light.ning, antl seemingly season this ~orui~g, sad fron1 our yes- made desperate e:florts to rain ; so fat it terday's disappou1tr~ent. . IIere 'vc has failed. At the present time a heavy have a long a?d ':vearisotne JOUrne;: of ~ho,ver is moving to the nort Should about 335 m1les before us, thrvugn a it reach us it would indeed be a favor.· piece of country containing not a hu- ' n1an habitation, and ':vhich is sparsely CAMP 18, J uNE 27 :-After passing timbered. The 1veather again to-day rather an uncomfortable night on acwas excessively hot, and I \vas confined count of musquitoes·, 'vCJ again take up· to the "hospital," ('vhich is still kept our line of rnarch, which lays through up,) because of n1y exertions of ye8t~r- the same apparentl'y interminable praiday. Camped t~is cv.ening alo~1g 'vt_t.h rie. At nuon 'vc found 'vhat here we· a number of trau1s. IIet·e, as In M1s- call very good_ 'vater, and p~enty or' so uri, vve have D8 means of computing grass for our arn~als ;· but as night ap-· distances, but we hope to roach Fort proached and no s1gn of 'vate1·, we were· Laramie in good season. Savv a number compelled to coutinue our march tilt ·* STARTElD on an expedition across the ,riYer to Fort Kearne~, with eager expectation of receiving letters from home and Uncle. Reached the ranch on the river at 12 M., and was obliged to await the arrival of the stage, whicll did not appear until 3 o'clock P: M. The crossing we found to be 4 miles above. Here the river is nearly three mi'es wide, and runs in three channels, two of which we forded by stage. The third, nearly 1{ miles wide, js shallow, with an occasional deep channel, and n. very rapid c urrent. This we crossed in a miserable combination of sticks and lumber, miscalled a. boat-a rickety, leaky thing at that, wllich we· were obliged to bail continually in order to keep· it afloat, and out of -tvhich we had occasionally to get, to drag it over sand bars, with a scorching sun overhead. r:rhis was not to be understood as a pleasure exdursion, o.s we learned to our cost before we again reached camp. On the south side we procured passage down to the Fort, four miles, in the mail ·w·agou. On reaching the' post office, with feelings run. ning high with a nticipation , we found nothing to re'pay us for our· PAINS, and the exertion we bad undergone. Tllis was a severe blow and a bitter di~a.ppointme·nt. We had traveled 12 weary tniks, crossed in fac't 3 rivers, tramped through a jungle -a. fit home for snn.kes, li ~ards and ail manner of r'eptHcs ; nothing could now b'c. done· but to retrace our steps as quickly as our physical condition woulC: 1'\.llow. Down-heftrtedtress made up no small sh'arc of our feelings 011 our ret:lrn trip. Another . turn of bailing, drn.gging, &c., brought us on the other shoTe ; another tramp through ihe jungle, and wading the other two branches-the water up to our armpits-found us clear from the river. Reached home at 11 p. ~r., wet, ti t·cd and exhausted from our exertions. 3 near midnight, vvhen ·we '\Vere brought. to a sudden stop by breaking one of the carriage 'v heels. During the afternoon, a suddeu gale arose, \Vhich continued until after nightfall, ·when it increased in severity, accompanied by a slight fall of rain, when it ceased, and all was again quiet. To-night our meal consisted t,f what 'vas left through the day, it being so late, and all being too tired to go through the process of cook• ing. Being fortunate enoug~h to break dovvn by a dry slough, '\vate·r was obtained by digging a shallow well, for our o'vn u.se aud als·o for the animals. This is wr experience c'r6ssing Platte river; the meanest of rive·rs-bToad , shaliow, fishless, sna.kcful g.'uidcsand hars and muddy water-the stage rdmbles over the bottom like on a bed of rock· yet baste must be made to cff'ect a crossing, else ;ou d1isa.ppear beneath its turbid waters; and your doom is certain, horses-, wagons, p·assengers· and all. Kearney C'it.}'-, two miles aboT"o . the Fort,· a placo of about a dozen houses, is familliarlj called "do·bey town," being almost entirely constructed of adobes, or sun-dri ed bricks. The Fort is a wooden structure ; that nnd the buildings attached a;re of consi.dera.bie· exte'nt.. A number of soldiers were walkmg around, With appa.7 r·ently but little to do ; o. nun;ber of ca~nan stooci in the enclosure rusty from d1susc. It IS t.he Western Stage Co's station ; l1ere n.lso congregn.te the wo·rshipcrs of Do.cchufi, and "dcalE'rs" of 1 a·nls. |