Start in the afternoon and travel fifteen miles over a smooth prairie, and camp. (Distance, 15 miles.)
Tuesday, June 12.
Weather very fine. Leave camp at 9 o’clock, and travel eight miles and camp until three, when we again move on nine miles farther, and camp for the night. (Distance traveled, 17 miles.)
Wednesday, June 13.
A shower with a heavy wind occurred at about midnight.
Our tents withstood the gale, but the rain was driven through in such large quantities as to drench us thoroughly.
At about 2 o’clock another shower occurred with a wind much stronger and more severe than the first, which levelled all our tents to the ground, notwithstanding the exertions of us all to keep them standing; and we were again left without a shelter, and compelled to pass the balance of the night as best we could—some standing in the open air with their backs to the storm, while others were lying under their prostrate tents with water all around them two or three inches deep.
These showers are accompanied with very violent electrical displays and very heavy thunder. They are the most violent and terrifying of anything of the kind I have ever witnessed.
About daylight we managed to get fires started, and before noon dried ourselves and our camp equipage almost completely.
We started at noon and traveled eighteen miles. The land through which we passed is apparently very fertile, but is almost destitute of timber of any kind. Camp on a small stream of clear, pure water.