Transcript

In May we fitte[d] up for traveling again and on the 20th we Started out again pull[e]d out again to Loup Fork where we found the water high and it was with considerabale difficulty that we got over and while waiting to get over one of our co a little 8 year old boy of Bro Neffs a step son hers was Charle Beers sliped into the river and was drownd[.] this brought a gloom over the whole co he was a lovely inteligent child[.] we made him a coffin out of a cotton wood log by diggin it out and made it without nals[.] the organizeing of the co was completed their by [thereby] appo[i]nting Father Capt of the 50 and other capt of 10[.] We traveld on very pleasantly haveing fine wether[.] Met some large bands of Indians[.] We made them some presents that kept peace with them[.] we all ways thought it better to give them presents than to fight them and when we got up into the Buffalo country we wa[s] glad to get some fresh meete to go with corn bread[.] I was appointed one of the hunters for the co and Br Alger for the other one[.] we started one after noon and Shot one down. I stade to guard it while John went to get a team [to] haul it in[.] their had a large company of the wild fellows, been in to the river for a drink and when they saw the white coverd wagons come along and severel men run out to get a shot at them they took scare and run with great fury rushing over every thing that was in their way and they [run] strait towards where I was guarding my beef and the farther they run the larger the herd got and all joind in the race and by the time they got near me they had increast to about 2000 head comeing with great fury[.] I thought they would slacken down before they got to me but the nearer they come the harder the[y] seamed to run and mad[e] the whole earth tremble with their heavy bodies jumping[.] when I found they was comeing direct to me it looked like I would [be] tramped under their feet but my onley chance was to stand my ground so I pulld off my hat swong it and hollard as loud as I could and when they come within a few feet of me they crowded a little one side so as to pass me and then crowded in again and filld up the space and when I see that they try to pass me without jumping upon me and I took courage and kept up my nois[e] untill the[y] had got past and I will assure you I was very glad when they had past and left me safe[.] their was one man told me that he heard me 3 miles away[.] by this time it was getting dark <*> and began to rain I built up a fire to lite the team to me but the rain came so hard and the brush very small that the fire soon went out[.] left me in the dark the thus my onley chance was to listen to hear them holler which they did but as the wind was against me I could not make them hear and I found they was about pass me on one side[.] So I had to leave my beef and run to cut them off from passing me I soon made them hear and we met but it was so dark and still raining the [that] we descded we could not find the beef so we started for camp Some 4 miles away they had kept up a fire from the wood they had geatherd from the river that showed us the way back[.] So we made a strait line for the Camp over hills and hollers and we stept off one bank about 10 or 15 ft and all went down together 4 yoke of cattle and 3 men but as it was sandy no one hurt so we geatherd up our guns and went on again and got to camp all right glad to find a good Supper and warm fire to dry our wet close [clothes] by alltho it was not our company but we staid all night with and went on the next morning to over take our own co and they was glad to see us come up for they had been looking all night[.] was afraid that we had been trampled down in the Stampede[.] we did not care to hunt any more for severll days and the company begin to get hungry for some beef so they desided to lay over and give us a chance to get some[.] we started early in the July morning and traveld untill late in the after noon before we found any as we had nearly got out of their range and when we saw them they were standing as if asleep but kept one sentinal on guard to warn them if and [any] one aproched[.] I saw that we had got to be very carefull if we got a good shot at them[.] So I proposed that we come up on both sides of them so that if they did get a scare we could one get a shot at least[.] I went around in hollow and when we got nearer we crawled close to the ground untill we got about near enough them we signeld to each other by putting a red hanker [handkerchief] on our ramrods and reaching it up in sight and when bot[h] was ready we made a shot so near together that we droped one in his tracks[.] then the other 6 run directly towards John but he was quick in getting another load into his gun so that when they past him he took another just back of the front legs and centered him through the heart and fell in his tracks[.] So we had 2 near together but about 15 miles from camp[.] I went to dressing the beef while John struck for a team to haul it in[.] he got back about 11 oclock at night with a keg of water and some supper and I can tell you that water was good as I had not had any since earley in the morning[.] we soon loaded the 1800 or 2000 [pounds] of beef into the wagon and mad[e] our way back to camp arriveing their a little before day light then we had to lay over an other day to cure our meat[.] this is done by cutting thin sliceses and dip into boiling brine and then spread on a rack made of willows and keep a slow fire under it for 24 hours then it can be string on a cord and hung in the wagons to finish drying which makes spendid eating in a time of scarcety[.] We traveld on the next day but didnot find any more buffalo on the rest of the journey but we had sufficiant meat to last us through to S L Lake wher[e] we arrived on the 22nd of Sept. having been 4 m and 2 day on the way from the Missouri River 1030 mils dureing our traveling I got acquainted one young lady while she was driving an ox team acrost the plains her Bro having one in the Battalion to serve his country and left her to drive the team. In the spring of 49 Apr 30 we were married by President Brigham Young.