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Show ' A TRIP ACROSS THE PLAINs·, by of hard bread, to each man; an nmou~t we found whol· ly insufficient, as partial starvation, dunng the latter ptu~t ofthe route, satisfactorily denlonstruted. Our ~the1· arttelcs of provision were in about the sam~ proportion. On the 7th~ 8th and 9th of April, the different messes crossed the .Missouri rivc1·, and encamped near the blllff, stx miles from St. Joseph's. . . We found plenty of woo'd und g?od ~ater at dus POJ.nt. A variety of the ptuoq uet a bounds 1 n thts pa1·t of t~e lndmH tert·ito•·y. Mr. l\1endenhnll ascended a t~·ee at th1s pJuc.e, in pursuit of n squin·el, ~nd, in e~deavor1ng to cn~ture ~~t, inflicted a won nd near h 1s knee wtth a hntchet, w hzch p1 even ted him from travelling, uon foot/' for n distance of Qlle thousand miles. On the evening of the 9th Mr. R. F. Cahill, of Findlay, Ohio, arrived at our camp, and engaged Messrs. Hoovers, of Dalton, to~ •take him through" to the "diggins." Next morning, about 7 o'clocl{, v;c broke up our catnp·, and after driving a. few minutes, found ourselves on the al• nost boundless prairie. 1"'ho scenery on these vast natural fields, creates, for a short time, an cxhilira.ting effect on the mind of the tra vellcr ; but the sameness of the scene iioon becomes monotonous. 'This evoning we encamped about two rniles west of tho utndian Agency." As grass had not yet begun growing 0n the prairie, we were compelled to carry food for tho mules nnd horses. Several of our messes bought corn at this place, paying one dollar pe1· bushel. We travelled this day about 27 n1iles. As many of the Jjnules had never been harnessed before, Df course some trouble might be expected in getting them to work well,but I believe we had no ''hawks,'' or runaways, during the day. On Sunday afternoon (April 14th) we crossed the Bjg Blue, distant from St. Joseph about 125 miles, This stream is about 120 feet wide, and at this time about three feet deep. We fo1·ded it without nny difficulty. Late1· in the season, during the heavy rains, this stream is swollen ver- y much, and may detain a company sevel'nl days, either in waiting for it "to fall," or in ferrying it. The weather, du t·ing the afternoon, wu warm and p!easant; but thedays preceding it,. had been ·JJnusually cold, snowing ftc- , AND LIFE IN CALIFORNIA. 9 quently, with a cold wind from the north. In this distance we had no wood, except in the vicinity of sh·eams. Next evening nbout sunset, we crossed Little Blue, . nod t~a velle.d near it the two successive dayb; the weather, dunng this time, cold and rainy. Friday evening (19th) we struck the valley of Platte, or Nebraska river, and encamped near some pools of stngnant water, about three miles from the river. Not having any fuel here but prairie grass. and it wet by the rains, we concluded to dispense with the ceremony of getting suppert nnd thet·efore wenl to bed minu~ this rneal. CHAPTER ll. .Fort Kearucy-"Doby Uoufles,"'-Badf"nlo, Deer, &c.,-Ford efSouth PlnUe-.Encnmpweu& oC Sioux-Fine Art.-Squnw&. Next morning about sunrise, we started forward, intendjog to breakfast at Fort 1\:earney, distant nbout ten miles. Reaching this place about ten 0'clock, we concluded to stop fo1· an hour 01· two, during which titne sornc brea.kfust was "got up.," and fiou1· purchased to feed the stock, many of th~m being nearly worn out by hard driving, and an insufficient amount of food. Spring being unusually Jute, we, as. yet, fourJ~ no grass, ~nd it became necessa1·y to economlze t.he ~r~rn we had With us ns much as possible. Th1s mJ)Jtary establishment is about 300 miles from St. J.oseph, and about two miles from Platte river. h is desJgned to nffor~ supp!i·es to ernigrants. "nd protect them f~om att~cks ot the dJffel'ent Indian tribes. This fort is Situated 1o the Pa.wnee country. During the summer of 184~, they wea·e in the habit of visiting emig-rants while Passing th 1 . roug1l h · ' t au· country. As these were sufferinoo fro~ chole•·a, the disease was comnlunica ted to them. desC: ~oymg gl·eat number~. This so frightened them, that they ept at a respectful d}stanee during the next season. b Fort ~(earney is built, principally, of "adobes.'~ (un- ~rnt brzck~) usua~ly caHed ''doby" houses. for sl,ort. T 'hc .g eat scarcity of timber, renders nn expedient of this kind necessary About two ' I k p M and traveliin . o c .oc ' . . ., we left the fort, g about e1ght miles, encamperl ncn1· a pool of stagnant water, about two and a half miles from the river. |