34 EARLY DAY STORIES. 



up and down when we crossed it like a teeter board, but 

 it carried us safely over. 



Leaving Shell creek we passed on up the valley, going 

 directly through the place where Columbus now stands, and 

 following on up the north side of Loup Fork near to the 

 present site of Genoa. We camped over night on the north 

 bank of the Loup, and began to make preparations fo ford 

 the stream the next day. The Loup, like the Platte, is a 

 bad stream to ford, the bottom being all quick sand, and 

 the current rapid. There were two or three men sent afoot 

 across and back in different places to ascertain the depth 

 and to find the best place to ford. It seemed about all alike 

 everywhere. The bottom was all sand, the water shallow, 

 being from a few inches to about a foot, excepting in the 

 main channel where for fifteen or twenty feet the water 

 was from two to three feet deep, but there the bottom was 

 better. There was considerable timber along the river here, 

 and cottonwood poles seven or eight inches thick were cut 

 and placed lengthwise under the wagon boxes so as to raise 

 them above where the water would come. From eight to 

 ten yoke of oxen were hitched to each wagon with two 

 drivers for each team . The crossing was made without 

 difficulty, but it took the most of the day. I helped to take 

 eight wagons across and in doing it waded the river fifteen 

 times. Toward the middle of the afternoon a strong wind 

 came up from the northwest and it turned very cold for 

 that time of year, just as Nebraska weather has not forgot- 

 ten to do in early summer, even of recent years. It was a 

 chilly, disagreeable camp ; although there was plenty of tim- 

 ber, it consisted almost entirely of green cottonwood, the 

 dry wood having been used up by previous campers. 



