Page:California Historical Society Quarterly vol 22.djvu/139

 made by Mr Crist and Sweetser and hymns sung it seemed like home to hear old hundred

June 18 Monday We left the fort and passed up on the river bottom saw several antelope and a most beautifull flower a deep red the root of which when cooked tastes like potatoes and makes a good pickle we camped off the river and to get water we had to dig a well we got good water by diging three feet distance traveled 1 5 miles

Tuesday June 19 We made a good drive nothing of note made 25 miles.

Wednesday June 20th Today has been hot we have had to lay by at noon three hours We have to eat hard bread and make our coffee with Buffalo chips for the first time We look now anxious for Buffallo dis- tance 20 miles

June 21 We have made good time today and camped near wood and water We have seen quite a number of Cactus beds blossom pale yellow distance 20 miles

Friday June 22 The river bottom narrows and the Bluffs grow higher today noon we saw distinctly on the opposite side of the river two Buffallo two of Rohrer's party and the Dr of our party went after them re- turned had a chase but did not get one we camped late without wood or water except what we brought from the river a mile distance 2 3 miles

Saturday June 25 We are now in the Sioux country and this afternoon one

of the Virginia party shot a large Buffalo they gave us as much as we

wanted a party of our men went out from our camp but did not get one

We camped near a running brook for Sunday distance traveled 20 miles

Sunday June 24th This morning before sunrise the cry of Buffalo was raised and every man was out to see one of those animals we had long looked for within a mile of our camp were fifteen large ones feeding and back on the Bluffs a mile or two there were hundreds on every hill top it was two strong a temptation for us who had never seen any game larger than a patridge Several of us took our rifles and went out to get a nearer view of the "elephant" We had gone a couple of miles and came direct on a large hurd we layed behind a rise of ground some 30 rods from them We watched them some time and we were getting ready to shoot when they discovered us and off they started on a kind of a clumsy gate I had the sattisf action of putting a ball in one of those Old Bulls just back of the fore- shoulder he hobled off evidently feeling worse for the opperation None of the rest fired and my ball being light did not suddenly stop him there was one seen in the direction he went off some hour after streched out for good they will go a good ways with a half ounce ball in them unless it passes through their lounges to prove this Mr. Nichols Ester- brook and I could not give it up, so, we started for another drove some mile