Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 8.djvu/401

 DIARY OF ASAHEL MUNGER AND WIFE. 393 animal was feeding in good grass, taking his comfort when his enemy must commence murdering him shot him 17 or 18 times before he fell took perhaps his tongue and left the remainder to be devoured by wolves which preyed upon him all night. There is a shrub here called grease wood which is saltish. We are now at the point where we cross the Platt, arrived here at 12 o'clock commenced building two boats. These boats are made of poles tied together, and covered with Buffalo skins. Grass for our horses not as good as we have found. The rain has fallen in such torrents that it has literally washed away the soil from large portions of this country; so that it is left a complete barren waste, not only the surface but hundreds of feet in depth seems to have been washed away over what is now the surface over thousands of acres of land over which we have passed which has only left here and there a towering bluff that is so hard 22 the water does not affect it. Sat. Boats completed by about noon all crossed river safely by 5 o'clock. The water here is deep rowed our boats packed up went about 3 miles and camped for the night. 23 Sab. Traveled up the Platt until noon then left it and bore away a northwest direction towards the Sweet water river a branch of the Platt. I feel as usual the need of a Sabbath, but Jesus is a precious Savior to me. I rejoice in him, oh let my soul meekly yield to him 24 in all things. Monday camped last night after a long and tedious day on a dry stream had to dig for water, and that too within a mile of a spring of clear water. Moved on fast this forenoon 15 or 16 miles without stopping traveled most of the time in sight of Buffalo. On our left for several days has been one of the Black Hills so called because of the shrub cedars that cover its surface and give it a black appearance. Camped at a beautiful spring of cool water found gooseberries most of the way we have had rain now expect cool air and frosty nights. June 25th Tues. Hard frost last night found good grass this forenoon have traveled in sight of towering broken ragged mountains, saw a moun- tain covered with snow. Came this evening to the rock Independence. This is the point where we struck the sweet water a small river branch of the Platt. 14 miles above its junction. This rock is called Independence from the fact that in 1830 the American Fur Co. spent the 4th of July here and celebrated the day. It is a long oblong rock covering perhaps 3 or 4 acres of ground. Many have enscribed their 26 names upon it. Wednes. Left the rock early and traveled up the Sweet water. We can see the snow upon the mountains on our left very clearly, we are now rising the Rocky Mountains gradually that great chain that separates the waters flowing to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. We know we are rising only from the facts, that we are and have been traveling by the side of rapid streams ever