l to-day. Bade Mr. M.'s family adieu, and
felt like leaving home again, so agreeably had the time passed in the
society of my friend and his accomplished family. Found one of our
horses lame with a sprained ankle; got the materials and made some
liniment (by directions of Mr. Merrill,) and I must say it proved the
most effectual remedy for sprains, galls, and other injuries to horses,
that I ever saw used, and we had good reason to be thankful to Mr.
Merrill for imparting the knowledge of making it to us, before we got
through with our trip. We traveled this day 24 miles down Rock
river--weather pleasant, and roads good.

24 miles.

7th. Sunday--traveled about 25 miles, pleasant weather, but some bad
roads.

25 miles.

8th. Traveled about 25 miles to Rock Island. Pleasant weather;
beginning to get into the track of California teams. Took in some hard
bread, visited Rock Island Lodge, of I.O.O.F., where I found a cordial
welcome as befitted brothers.

25 miles.

_April_ 9th. Crossed the Mississippi to Davenport, Iowa; took in 25
bushels of corn--paid for shelled corn 38 cts. per bushel, in the ear
30 cts. Purchased also most of our other necessaries, excepting meat
and flour. I was surprised to find Davenport and Rock Island such large
places.--They lie opposite each other on the Mississippi, and about
three miles above the mouth of Rock river. They are surrounded by a
country of fertile soil on each side of the river, and bid fair in a
few more years to become very important cities. We left Davenport at
noon, and traveled to Hickory Grove, Scott co.--roads very bad, with a
snow storm towards night.

14 miles.

10th. Left Hickory Grove in the morning and made 25 miles to Tipton,
the county seat of Cedar county. Roads very bad, mud deep, mostly
prairie, but good land. We got sloughed once to-day, and had to carry
our loads on our backs. We found Tipton full of California teams, and
had to let our horses stand out for the first time, although it was a
cold disagreeable night.

25 miles.

11th. Left Tipton in the morning and reached Cedar River about
noon--found the road bad enough, but better than it had been for a
couple of days past. We ferried across the Cedar river and drove a few
miles, and put up with a crowd of California emigrants at the log house
of an Irishman by the name of Nolan, a clever man, who did the best his
slender means permitted to make us comfortable. During the night it
rain