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96 



examination such as my limited means and time would allow, would be of 

 little service. I had already done enough to excite inquiry, and further 

 exploration must be made by scientific men wath a corps of assistants. One 

 day more might have secured a Big Horn, but this would hardly justify my 

 stay. Therefore, wdiile I greatly feared that Professor Baird would be 

 disappointed, I determined to start in the morning. 



We arose early, but were detained by our mules having wandered off. 

 About seven o'clock we started, very heavily loaded. I felt sure that we 

 must walk the whole distance, and although such a prospect did not daunt 

 me, yet a walk of one hundred and thirty miles in very hot weather, and 

 after a three months trip, was no trifling matter; we started, but as we 

 were ascending the hill of the opposite bank of the river, something about 

 the tongue broke by which we were detained nearly an hour. Then one 

 mule could scarcely pull the load up the hill, and the buggy was evidently 

 on the point of breaking down. However, we got up the hill and on the 

 level prairie — had a fine road. I got in to ride a short distance and rather 

 sad thoughts occurred to me ; there I was, laboring and fatiguing myself so 

 much, in perfect contrast to my situation a year ago, or to my situation in 

 Princeton, but I felt that I would prefer being there to lounging about the 

 fort ; the only thing that troubled me, was how to get the load home ; we 

 at last crossed Sage creek, and there stopped for dinner ; the buggy looked 

 still worse, and one of the springs showed evident signs of breaking. 



After much uneasiness, I determined to leave there all we could, and 

 hasten home and then send a cart for what we would leave. The principal 

 reasons for doing so were, that the buggy could not carry the load, nor 

 could I take any portion of my collection at all ; for on the road out, so 

 heavy was the load, and so weak the mules that we walked at least one 

 half the distance. I felt sure also that I would give out ; my limbs could 

 not carry me much further. We therefore made what they call a baggage, 

 that is a deposit of articles, and started for Bull creek ; we had a very 

 warm, fatiguing ride, and although we reached there early, we were so 

 tired that all hands were willing to rest. We stopped for the night and 

 had a fine encampment. 



This morning we were up, had breakfixst, and w^ere on our way before 

 sunrise, and about six o'clock we reached this place. A few miles from 

 this we met a party with several carts going to trade with the Shagen Indi- 

 ans beyond the Bad Lands : they by promising to bring our baggage, light- 

 ened my heart very much. I find the few warm days since we passed here, 

 have brought out the buds on the trees. 



Thursday, May 16. — Lnst night we camped on Grindstone creek; 

 the clouds were heavy and threatened rain, but happily it passed oyer 

 without any. To-day "at noon we camped on Bee creek, and this evening 

 are at our old encampment on the Sheepoi river. To-day has been windy 

 and rather cold : quite pleasant this evening. To-morrow we hope to reach 

 the fort, and it is about time, as our provisions are nearly out. 



Saturday, May 18. — Last evening about sunset, I reached the Fort 

 very much fatigued, and very glad to get back again to comfortable quarters. 

 We had traveled that (biy forty-throe miles with our team nearly given out. 



I had been absent about eleven days, one of which was a day of rest. I 

 had traveled nearly three-hundred miles— had made considerable collections 

 in the Mauvaises Terre, and had seen a goodly portion of the country be- 

 tween the Missouri and the Platte. The journey was a fatiguing one to the 



