Transcript
Transcript for George Morris reminiscences, circa 1880-1890, 12-13
. . . while there [Council Bluffs] I larned that there was a great deil of Sickness there – and on account of haveing so much Sickness dureing the last two years – I had got a perfect Dread of it – So I began to think that if there was any Posability of my getting away in any of the Large Companys – that whare then being Organized at the Elk Horn river – I whould do it fitout – or no fitout – So I Kept myself well Posted with regard to the Progress thay whare makeing – and the time of thair Starting – So on the eavening Preaveous to the day thay Started – just after Sundown when the Organiseation was all Complated – and the fitouts had all been Examined – I rooled up alone to the Opasite Side of the river – and on ariveing there the first man I Saw was a very Intamate friend and Old acquintance of mine – who Came from the Same Branch of the Church in England – as I Did and had Crossed the Sea in the Same Vesel as I Did – His Name was Henry Poyl [Royal] – he came to the river and Hollowed Out Holo George, – is that thee – Come on – we want thee in our ten – there is just room for one waggon in it – Come on and Ill help Thee ferry Thy waggon Over –Turn Thy Cattle into the river and Swim am Over – thats The way we v [we’ve] all Done – thay v [they’ve] just Don[e] going Throu our waggons – to See wether we have all goten the right fitout – but I recken Thou art all right by the looks of Thy waggon – and Teams – my Outside apperiene [appearance] was prity good – but if the Inside of my waggon had been examined – I whould Certinly have been Sent Back – for all I had in the Shape of Bread stuff to Subsist upon for 18 months at least – acording to all Cal[c]ulations was three hundred pounds of flour – and two Bushels of Parched Corn – and there was five in Number of us – after we had traviled alltogether for some time – the Pizga [Pisgah] company – on account of thair Poor Circumstances – whare put to Travil first on the road – that thay might Kill wild meat to help out thare Provisions – and my real Circumstances haveing becom[e] Known – I was first to travil with Them – and haveing two Cows giving Milk – we nearly lived on milk and wild meat – all the time while Crossing the Plains – I scarcly got as much as my 3 fingers of Bread per Day – all the time we whare on the road – which was from the 22nd of May – to the 20th of Sep 1848 I will mention here an Incedent which ocured – in Conection with what I have Prieveously Said about My Swareing – we had traviled Some Distance on the road – when we Came to a very Mirey Bad Creek -- which we had to Cross – there was one hundrad waggons in the Company – Loranzo [Lorenzo] Snow – was the Captain of the Hundrad – John Stoker – was Captain of fifty – and Thomas McLalin [McLelland]– was the Captain of the [ten] that I belonged too – the Company had all Crossed Over and mine was the last waggon – and the Crossing had become very Bad indeed – my Captain had made a little Mis Calculation – and Stoped his waggon a little too Soon and no room to Drive Out – I rip[p]ed Out a tarable Blue Streak of forked lightning at Him – as he stood on the Bank watching the waggons Cross over – I looked up and there sat Bro Snow in His Buggy Close By – and had Heard me Do that Horrable Swareing – He gave me a stuning Look – But never Spoke a word – and then went onto the Head of the Company and Started it on – the Captain of the 10 allso gav[e] me a terable Look – but He dident say anything Either – Naither was there any need to – for the reproving Looks thay had given me – had more Effect – than any words thay could have Spoken – when I had Out – and had Cooled Down – I felt aufull Mean – But thay Dident Ear [hear] any more Swareing from me – the Pizga [Pisgah] Company – being loaded light traviled faster than the Other Companies – and we frequently had to Stop 3 or 4 Days at a time for them to Come up – mostly – at rivers – and Streams of water – we had to hunt out fording Places – and get our Own Company Over – and then get reddy to Help the Other Companies Over when thay Came up – I think I waded the Platt[e] river 22 Times – when we got to Green river – we had to waite there 10 Days for President Young to Come up – as he wanted to go at the Head of the Compa