The Genteel Gentile, Letters of Elizabeth Cumming, 1857 - 1858

Genteel Gentile, page 016

God grant we may return in some other season than win- ter. It is like a nightmare io think of our journey, since we reached the summit of Rocky mountains & winter at one & the same time. My good little pony, my six years old friend, whom I rode 50 much in the previous part of the journey, was lost in the snows, & so probably starved to death. We could not find him in the morning, & remained iwo hours seekmg bun but could spare no more tm,e He has eaten from mv hand 50 long When we had only 3 bushels of corn left for 55 mules, food for five days, he ate my b& with me morning&night. Perhaps he has only starved a little sooner. He was my ps, & I miss hnn vsy much. I have never seen Alfred in better health. He is busy with gentlemen, (officers &c) nearly all day--arranging for the future, talking over this pa business"-&c. &c. AI1 the different detachments of troops, sent out during the summer, have assembled near here-to have sufficient force io repel an assault. All the cm are camped about us. We are less than half a mile from the main camp. Chief Justice Eckles, Dist. Attory Hockaday-Dr. Forney (the Supt. of Utah Indi- ans.) & two or three other civil officers (the rest will come in spring) all our teamsters, (who must stay with us, as they xm noi go) all the G& merchants, with goods for Salt Lake, (who cannot go on either, under penalty of death if they enter the city) are of our camp. The climate is good, they say. W&r is good, I know. The officers and troops are said to be in good spirits. The dragoons, who accompanied us are ~3 glad to be through with the cold journey, & the haunting & w- able fear, that our animals might not last alive long enough 16