chases, but a good warming and a good supper prepared us for a glorious night's sleep.
April 12. This morning is cold and windy, with showers, very disagreeable for persons not used to camp life. We lay, making our outfit till the 25th of the month.
April 25.—We left camp this morning and crossed over the river and camped six miles west of St. Joseph. Here we lay till the 27th, when we again fairly set out on our long journey. We traveled 20 miles this day. Camped on the bank of Wolf river, found wood and grass plentiful. We found the stream to be 12 feet wide and 6 inches deep.
April 28.—We left camp this morning at 9 o'clock, came to Iowa Mission at 11 A. M., passed the mission and encamped at a small branch at 1 P. M. Here we found but little grass.
April 29.—We prepared for an early start this morning and just as we began to eat breakfast, the wind commenced blowing, upsetting tents and stopped the operations for a short time. As soon as we could, we all gathered up and started. We had traveled but a few miles when it began to snow terrifically, till 1 or 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when it quit snowing, but the wind kept blowing very hard till night. Tired and nearly frozen, having traveled nearly 20 miles this day.
April 30.—We lay in camp all day, one of our company having smashed the spokes out of a wagon wheel and no chance to get timber to fill it nearer than the Mission,, 22 miles back. We sent a man back and cut up fence rails and packed them out on a horse.
May 1.—This day a Mr. Coryell and myself filled the wheel, after which we gathered up and traveled five miles to good camping.
May 2.—We had turned out our cattle last night and not being tired, they had rambled so badly that it took till 4 o'clock in the afternoon to find them. We then organized a company and guarded that night, for the first time on the road.
