on its bank. Here we found poor grazing but plenty of wood.
May 14.—This morning the wind raised and blew all day, creating such a dust that it was with difficulty sometimes that we could see our teams. The wind blew all night desperately.
May 15.—This morning we left the camp at 8 o'clock and traveled up the stream till 5 P. M. Had good bottom road all the way. Just before camping, we met six teams loaded with furs, each wagon containing about one card of lightly bound skins and buffalo hides.
May 16.—This day we left camp at 8 and traveled about six miles up the stream to where our road left and took over the hills to the Platte river. Traveled 16 miles and camped on a small creek; poor water.
May 17.—This day our road led over a wide ridge and down to the Platte Valley, which at this point is about seven miles wide. We have traveled about 15 miles today. We saw the first buffalo today on our route and a few antelope also.
May 18.—This morning' our road led up the Platte Valley near the river. We had traveled but four or five miles when it commenced raining very hard. We arrived at Fort Kearney at 11 A. M., but made no halt. The clouds broke away at 1 o'clock but clouded up again at 3. We hurried to find a good camping ground, when my youngest boy, a lad only four years old, fell from the wagon and was run over by one of the forewheels, breaking his right thigh two inches below the hip joint. During the storm, which upset tents and riddled wagon sheets, I was engaged in splintering [splinting] and bandaging the broken leg, which I succeeded in doing to good advantage, so that he could run and play with other children in six weeks time. Our camp was on the bank of the Platte, where we had no wood but green willow brush and we were all cold and wet.
May 19.—This day was cold and windy. We traveled about 12 miles and then camped without wood except what
