Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 2.djvu/163

Rh the day and then shot down and left to lie in the hot sun during the afternoon until near sunset before they were gutted, and then left through the night with the hide on. Nearly all was lost, except what Captain Saunders brought in. Now, about the rest. We are still in camp, waiting to see if the hunters will kill any more of these useful animals. ——— Since writing the above I have estimated the weight of these fourteen buffaloes, which is one hundred pounds per head [of the emigrants] all of which except three or four hundred pounds is lost. God forgive us for such waste and save us from such ignorance. The hunters have returned and brought with them one buffalo and one deer, the first that has been killed on the road, except a small fawn which was killed on the Nimahaw. Now, it is pretty certain that we shall move from this place early in the morning. To-day Colonel Simmons resigned and the general ordered a new election, which resulted in the choice of Jacob Hoover for lieutenant-colonel and Alec McGinn as first lieutenant instead of Hoover, promoted." Rev. E. E. Parrish's Journal.

I will now tell the story of the foregoing two dates,—for though they cover two dates of wonderful hunting scenes, which were much like mimic war on these plains, nearly every actor saw only different parts of the general action.

On July 11 General Gilliam's train, reduced to three companies, by the going off of Woodcock's command the morning after the military organization, was moving up the south side of the main Platte, in the order agreed upon by the leading officers: Captain Morrison's teams in the lead and setting the pace, and Captain Morrison himself in advance some four or five miles in performance of the duties which had been made permanently