ay] This morning I went out walked up a hill which
overlooks the town & river, never saw such a bustle, there was a large
drove of cattle filling the streets for some distance, which they were
crossing to the other side as fast as possible, with their little boats,
where there should have been at least 2 good large steam ferry boats, &
I should think that they could afford to build them, or charter them
from some other ports, this I know & all others who have experienced it,
that it is a great vexation to keep ones team standing for a day or two
in the street, & watch your chance to get ferried over, for the press is
so great that they will slip in before you if they can. I saw several
teams approaching the town, & I suppose I saw ours, for they came in
about that time, but I did not see the grey pony (which I afterwards
learned they had sold her back getting sore) nor the blue steer which
had died concluded it was not them, returned to the house, & thought if
it was them they would soon be in, but as it proved the letter which I
had deposited in the P. O., informing them of my wherebouts, was nailed
upon the door, & had been covered over by others of more recent date, I
had also left word with the commission merchant to whom the goods were
shiped that I was going over the river to stay several days prehaps
[_sic_] until they came; if not I would leave a line there, or in the P.
O. Loyd got this word, & not finding any line in the office, immediately
crossed the river & searched for me for several miles out on the road.

[May 9--26th day] Sunday I sat at the window observing every team &
every person, for I thought surely they would come to day, while they at
the same time were looking as hard for me. Loyd having got no tidi[ngs]
of me over the river; went to every church in the town, & looked if I
was there, but not seeing me, he went to the P. O. once more, & tearing
off some score of letters he found the desired information, & in a few
moments he was at the door; & "the lost was found," all was soon
explained, we eat our dinner, which was to be out last at a table for
some time. We went down, crossed over the river, after having procured
several articles to complete our outfit, found our team already on the
opposite bank ready to start, our other team from Calhoun Co.[25] was
in waiting to accompany us, they had fallen in company with our folk &
George[26] being acquainted with them, & as we had never heard from Mr.
B