Ex. Doc. No. 41. 



mined to wait no longer, and by sundown had completed a raft of 

 dry wood, capable of bearing 1,000 pounds without being over- 

 loaded. The men worked with great energy, and it was truly ex- 

 citing to see them straddle the huge logs and float down in the 

 rapid current whose waters were rushing along with such a fierce ra- 

 pidity, dimpling the surface of the stream with miniature whirpools 7 

 and making the willows, now covered midway by the inundating 

 waters, bend and spring as if moved by a hurricane. Sometimes 

 rafts of brush and loose logs came rushing along, but the men stuck 

 fast to the logs they bestrode, screaming out in wild excitement, 

 as if to drown the gurgling sound of the wild waters. 



To-day we saw several large white cranes with black-tipped 

 wings; (grus Americanus,) and Laing killed me some rattlesnakes, 

 (crotalus horridus) and several prairie snakes. Along the creek 

 we found an abundance of plums (prunus virgins) and cherries. 



Thursday, lQth. — As our raft was now completed we commenced 

 crossing a'l our camp equipage, and by 11 o'clock everything wag 

 safely transferred to the south side of the stream. We were obliged 

 to carry over much less at a time than we had hoped to have done, 

 for our raft, built of the dryest wood that we could find, became 

 water logged. The elm and box elder were the only trees we could 

 get, and when green their specific gravity is but little less than 

 that of water. The wagon body was placed upon the raft to dis- 

 tribute the weight that might be placed in it equably. A rope was 

 stretched across on which a noose could slide, and this noose, by along 

 rope, was attached to our raft to prevent its being swept away in case 

 the stretched rope should break. This precaution proved most 

 wise, as the rope did break, but the knots upon it prevented the 

 noose from sliding off, and our craft swung round into an eddy 

 where it was comparatively calm. 



We now proceeded to cross our cavalcade; some of the horses 

 were first driven and went bravely over; others were very trouble* 

 some, but at length, seeing their companions enjoying the luxuriant 

 grass, they all 'plunged in and arrived safe on the opposite side. 

 Some had to struggle hard to get up the banks, that, in addition to 

 their steepness, were covered with a thick coating of mud, depos- 

 ited by the waters. It was a beautiful sight to see some of the 

 finest of our horses spring from the high banks of the stream, tc 

 see the splash of spray as it showered around when the horse dis- 

 appeared, and again to see the noble animal rise above the wave, 

 snorting and dashing the waters from his mane, as he swam for the 

 opposite shore. Our Indian lad seemed to enter into the spirit of 

 the scene; he seized the cabresto of one of the wildest horses and 

 dragged him down into the water; running out upon the raft, he 

 stood for a moment, and then plunged into the stream, throwing 

 his arms alternately as he dashed ai ;Oss. It is in such scenes as 

 this that the Indians excel; their fiae limbs, dark hair, and flashing 

 eye lend all the imagination could desire to perfect the wild grace 

 of motion, the picturesque of attitude that such occasions develops. 



The water had fallen nearly 3 feet during the past night, and as 

 it still continued to fall, the troops commenced crossing at the 



