ords are partly erased in the original manuscript.

[43] The Platte or Nebraska R., and well-known affluent of the Missouri
R. Her description is similar to Fremont's, in his first exploration of
ten years earlier.--Fremont. _Report._ Washington, 1845, p. 16.

[44] Fort Kearny, Nebraska, named after Col. Stephen W. Kearny who, in
1845, conducted the first military expedition through the West, from
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains. It
was at first named Fort Childs, in honor of Gen. Thomas Childs, of the
Mexican War. The post was abandoned permanently in 1871.

[45] Judging from the length of miles, the reference seems to be to the
group of islands of which Long Island, opposite Kearney, Neb., is the
largest.

CHAPTER IV

FROM FT. KERNEY TO FT. LARIMIE

Leaving our letters in the P. O. went on some 10 or 12 ms. & stoped for
the night, there was no wood, & was not likely to be fore some distance
according to the guides. [May 27--44th day] The grass being poor, & no
wood, & believing that it was better on the north side, & I guess our
cattle thought so too, for they all got into the river last night &
started to swim across, but after a while they give it up & come out. we
concluded to cross the river at the first ford we came to. We had
proceded some 4 or 5 ms. up the river; when we saw several waggons
standing on the bank, & the men watching something in the water; we soon
saw there was a waggon & team fording the river, we could hardly
descerne the team which was nearly under the water, and the waggon
looked like a little boat, it was preceeded by two men on horseback, who
rode side by side, surveying out the ford & marking it by sticking up
little sticks in the sand; we watched them till they were safely across,
& the pilots had returned, but there was a board stuck up here which
informed us, that the ford was safe, & that a large train had passed the
day before. I felt a little nervous when we were about to cross, for the
river here is all of one mile & a half wide, & a more foaming madening
river I never saw, & its banks being very low, & the water the color of
soapsuds you cannot see the bottom where it is not more than six inches
deep, consequently looks as deep as the Missouri when it is bank full, &
the many islands & bars which obstruct this swift current makes an awful
noise, you cannot make a person hear you, when you are in the river, at
5 yds. distant; and I ca