The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, Oregon and California | Page 3

the horses hobbled and turned
loose to graze; and but a few minutes elapsed before the cooks of the
messes, of which there were four, were busily engaged in preparing the
evening meal. At nightfall, the horses, mules, and oxen were driven in
and picketed,--that is, secured by a halter, of which one end was tied to
a small steel-shod picket, and driven into the ground; the halter being
twenty or thirty feet long, which enabled them to obtain a little food
during the night. When we had reached a part of the country where
such a precaution became necessary, the carts being regularly arranged
for defending the camp, guard was mounted at eight o'clock, consisting
of three men, who were relieved every two hours --the morning-watch
being horse-guard for the day. At daybreak the camp was roused, the
animals turned loose to graze, and breakfast generally over between six
and seven o'clock, when we resumed our march, making regularly a
halt at noon for one or two hours. Such was usually the order of the day,
except when accident of country forced a variation; which, however,
happened but rarely. We traveled the next day along the Santa Fé road,
which we left in the afternoon, and encamped late in the evening on a
small creek, called by the Indians, Mishmagwi. Just as we arrived at
camp, one of the horses set off at full speed on his return, and was
followed by others. Several men were sent in pursuit, and returned with
the fugitives about midnight, with the exception of one man, who did
not make his appearance until morning. He had lost his way in the
darkness of the night, and slept on the prairie. Shortly after midnight it
began to rain heavily, and, as our tents were of light and thin cloth, they
offered but little obstruction to the rain: we were all well soaked, and
glad when morning came. We had a rainy march on the 12th, but the
weather grew fine as the day advanced. We encamped in a remarkably

beautiful situation on the Kansas bluffs, which commanded a fine view
of the river valley, here from four to five miles wide. The central
portion was occupied by a broad belt of heavy timber, and nearer the
hills the prairies were of the richest verdure. One of the oxen was killed
here for food.
We reached the ford of the Kansas late in the afternoon of the 14th,
where the river was two hundred and thirty yards wide, and
commenced, immediately, preparations for crossing. I had expected to
find the river fordable; but it had swollen by the late rains, and was
sweeping by with an angry current, yellow and turbid as the Missouri.
Up to this point the road we had traveled was a remarkably fine one,
well beaten, and level-- the usual road of a prairie country. By our route,
the ford was one hundred miles from the mouth of the Kansas river.
Several mounted men led the way into the stream to swim across. The
animals were driven in after them, and in a few minutes all had reached
the opposite bank in safety, with the exception of the oxen, which
swam some distance down the river, and, returning to the right bank,
were not got over till the next morning. In the mean time, the carts had
been unloaded and dismantled, and an India-rubber boat, which I had
brought with me for the survey of the Platte river, placed in the water.
The boat was twenty feet long and five broad, and on it were placed the
body and wheels of a cart, with the load belonging to it, and three men
with paddles.
The velocity of the current, and the inconvenient freight, rendering it
difficult to be managed, Basil Lajeunesse, one of our best swimmers,
took in his teeth a line attached to the boat, and swam ahead in order to
reach a footing as soon as possible, and assist in drawing her over. In
this manner six passages had been successfully made, and as many
carts with their contents, and a greater portion of the party, deposited
on the left bank; but night was drawing near, and, in our anxiety to
have all over before the darkness closed in, I put upon the boat the
remaining two carts, with their accompanying load. The man at the
helm was timid on water, and in his alarm capsized the boat. Carts,
barrels, boxes, and bales, were in a moment floating down the current;
but all the men who were on the shore jumped into the water, without
stopping to think if they could swim, and almost every thing--even
heavy articles, such as guns and lead--was recovered.

Two of the men who could not