Sunday, July 16
Just after we crossed the bridge, and where there is a sudden turn in the road, as it winds around the mountain, we saw where two men had been killed and two wagons burned last week. The tire became loose on a wheel of the next to the last wagon in a freight train, the men stopped to tighten it, while the rest of the train moved on, not thinking of danger, and was out of sight in a few minutes. An hour later some men came back to see what kept them. And they were - dead and scalped - horses gone, and wagons on fire. The Indians had taken all the freight they could use, piled wood under the wagons, and set it on fire. We saw quantities of the white beans scattered over the ground, also the irons from the wagons.
Wednesday, July 26
...I did not awake this morning until everything was ready for a very early start. Mother had kept my breakfast warm by keeping the stove until the last minute. I sat in the wagon and ate my breakfast after the train had started. When through, I climbed out and went to see how Neelie [Sarah's friend] was. I found her feverish and restless; her symptoms unfavorable.
Oh the dust, the dust; it is terrible. I have never seen it half as bad, it seems to be almost knee deep in some places. We came twenty miles without stopping and then camped for the night. We are near a fine spring of most excellent water - Barrell Spring it is called. I do not know why, there are no barrells there. When we stopped, the boys' faces were a sight; they were covered with all the dust that could stick on. One could just see the apertures where eyes, nose, and mouth were through the dust; their appearance was frightful. How glad we are to have pleanty of clear cold water to wash away the dust.
To be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment