early a month on
salt pork, it was decidedly relishable. The Indians visit the road but
very little, which is not much regretted by the emigrants. Last night a
man came to one of our wagons who was in search of horses, which had
become frightened and ran away from his company. They lost nine, which
were all they had. This is a great loss. The grass is but little better
here than it was at Weston; the season has been cold and dry. Distance,
twenty-two miles.

MAY 16.

Traveled over a level country; saw some antelope and was passed by a
train of wagons from Galena, Wis. Tonight we stopped near the river. I
never saw finer horses than are on this road, especially those from
Wisconsin and Illinois. Distance, fifteen miles.

MAY 17.

Continued our march over beautiful prairie country, and encamped in the
afternoon upon a green plain not far from the Platte. I forgot to
mention before that when we reached the fort but nine hundred wagons had
been reported as having passing this Spring, and about one hundred more
have gone ahead since then. From this we perceive that we are
comparatively among the first of the emigrants this season. A few pass
us every day, but as we are passing others, it is difficult to tell how
many really keep in advance of us. Distance, fifteen miles.

MAY 18.

In our course today we left the Platte several miles to the right and
entered on a high region. At noon we stopped by a small stream of good
water, which winds along in an easterly direction between the hills and
the river. In the evening we stopped on the same stream higher up. Grass
poor. Today we met a man who was in search of a horse which had run away
from him in a buffalo herd. He had himself become lost, a considerable
distance from the road, was without food or arms, except a single
pistol. Saw numerous herds of buffalo and represented the country as
barren and desolate. His horse had been taken up by another company,
and when we saw him, he was in search of his own. Day warm. Distance,
seventeen miles.

MAY 19.

In consequence of there being little grass where we stopped last night,
we were off early this morning, and intended to cross the south fork of
the Platte before we stopped, which we supposed was about ten miles
distant. Today I saw almost countless numbers of buffalo. I saw several
shot and a great many dead by the road. They are huge animals, some of
them larger than any I ever saw; ran in a clumsy sort of cant