Wednesday, June 27.
We started at 8 o’clock and traveled four miles in the forenoon. In the afternoon we go up the river to the South Platte.
I went up the river about three miles for some wood. Plenty of buffalo. (Distance, 17 miles.)
Thursday, June 28.
Fair weather. Packed in the morning and prepared to ford the south fork of the Platte River.
The stream is about three-fourths of a mile in width and from one foot to three feet deep. The current is rapid and water very muddy. From its appearance, any one might suppose the stream was 20 feet deep.
I crossed and recrossed it on horseback three times. We had no very bad luck in crossing. Some of our packs became wet and we unpacked on the west side of the stream and dried them. We started at one o’clock and traveled 12 miles in the afternoon and camped without wood, but found plenty of good, dry “Buffalo chips.” (Distance, 13 miles.)
Friday, June 29.
Start at 6.30 o’clock and finding neither wood nor water, we traveled seven hours, when we halt and make a search for water, and find a spring about one mile from camp.
This was good fortune. (Distance, 20 miles.)