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Show 68 NATIONAL WAGON ROAD GUIDE. ' " ', ,_ ' - ' ' ,, ' ' ' - ' '--.., " ~- ,_ ~ " '• --. ~ ------- THEY TAKE A OUT OFF. \ NATIONAL WAGON ROAD GUIDE. 69 ing some'thing of distance. But too often, there is found some serious obstacle to be encountered, either in the shape of an exceedingly steep ravine, a bad slough or something that has turned the main traveled road around it. So that, as a general rule, it is safer to keep pretty near, or al'V\rays in sight of the wagons. A DAY ON TilE PLAINS. · Not until four or five days out, do the inexperienced become anything like 'well acquainted with the duties of the camp, or the regular routine of a day upon the ~lains. There is so much of novelty to the uninitiated, so much that seems to require a change of programme in every day's proceedings, that until emigrants have been out from ten to twelve days, can they be said to have fa_irly established the order of the day. But in follo,ving for hundreds of miles the Platte ri';er, with one continued round of monotony from day to day, something like order generally arises from pre-vious chaos. Our company's teams 'vere all horses and mules, and as it was deemed advisable to guard the animals at night, the following, with but the little change that circumstances-as the '\vant of food or water for our animals at a proper time-made necessary, was the order observed. . As near five o'clock 'in the afternoon as we could find good camping, "re turned from the main traveled track, generally towards springs, creek |