^^^ Ex. Doc. No. 4t 



spring before venturing to cross the Raton. They told us that 



game was ve.ry abundant; that they daily killed gr.at numbers of 

 ttie bla.k-tailed dt-er, common deer, antelope, and turkeys. There 

 IS exceiU-nt dry wood here in great abun<lance; the stream is linei 

 with groves of dead locust and cotton wood, which have been killed 

 by fire or inundation. * 



We were now clear of the much dreaded pass, but our troubles 

 still continued; the measles seemed to be spreading amr>n^»st mr 

 men, and already four of them were so ill that we bad to lift thei 

 in and out of the wagons. We marched 14 miles. 



Jan^cary ]5.—We made an early start this morning, and after t 

 march of 12 miles we reached " Holes in the Prairie " where we 

 encamped As we knew that we should find no wood here, we 

 brought a large quantity from the Purgatorv. 



The road over which we travelled 

 free froin snow. W 



If 



-.^ i.um snow we therefore reached our camping place af ak 

 early hour. There we met Capfain Murphy, who was conveying 

 several wagon loads of specie to Santa F6. ^ 



..pnni ^ ^?i''^ ^^', '^"^'' ""^ ^^■'^''"^' ^" Ne^^ ^^^'^5co towards our 

 people, and learned that be had already been put on his guard by 

 an express, which he had met near Bent's fort 



^nH P.\° •' ""^ ^^'^^ '"y. '""'"' '"'^^'"^ ^^" P"^'- to go through this trip, 

 ^nr.,nn t"""' '^^^^^^'^'"st the Arrnpahoes, who, he said, were thea 

 rnnltT?rV'''' Chouteau's island, and who had a great number of 

 Toltn ^''ll^'-^f "'l-l ^ith the letters U. S., which they refused 

 nrifffl ''^' • *^t"'^° inlornied me that all the grass was burnt up 

 oif the praines between Pawnee Fo.k and Council Grove. 



came vl'^r'' m"^ '^^ T'"' ^."i!*'*^''b- changed to the north; it be- 

 came ^ery co d, and before niglit we had a%now storm. 



thfm Zl^ '"''" '°"."? ^''^ <-^st, notwithstanding our feeding 



pt-s rTll n l",^"'^"'^^'' ^ •^^^-'•"•'"ed to adopt Captain Mar- 

 ri»> ^ plan, in letting them run loose all night. 



swoHen .nn'^K r ""^ '"^•'^"" '^'^'^ '''^^"^ '^'i i^is eyes were terru.j 

 swoUen, and before evennig he seemed to be the sickest man in the 



blr 



stU 1 ^ 56-Alt.iough our mules had strayed off some distance, 



we re^cVTufr 1 '" 'T^ '^'"^ ^'^ ^" ^"^'^ '''^^^ ^n'^" «* 1 o'clock 

 ^f an-eviZi • ;' '" *^" ''''^" where' we encamped in the .-e.tre 

 strewed rouJdln'.n'r''"''^- '^"^e trunks of these trees lay 



everv si<!p. .^^L ^'''"'^3^- ^" '^ little time, fi.es were kindled on 

 MhUofU?r\^'T'' ^^'' """ ^^ ^'^ °^'" t« «it by; the dense 

 CoLid we ah4f;Y '^^? J-"^Pl-'-b' sheltered us from the wind. 



cou,d.i;;:.;l:;:r.:;s^:e:;tomtt.^cS!r^ '-'''' ^° -^'-^^' 



one w!"f ii' '^rK'^'^'r^ fr^* "^^"y V^^'^^'^^ dogs. Lalngkinel 

 thatTt w.i Lt ' r \ •' ^•"^''' t'"' '"^^ g'*^^» the'.ittle nnrmal st> 

 nice that we si rr \^'?'"^> .^^^^ ^-S was.so fat. and looked s^ 

 liad n P ? \} cooked, but, ,t seemed to be ve^y touL^h, and it 



Had a flavor wh.eh was not altogether palatable ^^ ^ ' 

 January l.._Last night the wind bliw very h^rd from the so 



utb 



