vine, charged but 25 cts, two indians here, went on
till near night and encamped for the night, very good place, in a hollow
to the left of the road. George caught some small fish with a pinhook.
[May 14--31st day] Soon in the morning we renewed our journey, through a
fine rotting[34] prairie, small groves of timber along the water
courses, giving the landscape a very picturesque appearance; saw several
graves to day, passed where they were burying a man, crossed the little
Nimahaw,[35] a fine stream, encamped on the bank. We had not been here
long, when a little white calf came up to us out of the bushes, &
appeared very hungry; it had probably been left on purpose, though most
of them are gennerally killed, but he might have been hid in the bushes,
& people are not very tenderhearted on this journey, but he reminded me
so much of home I would not let them shoot it; we left it there to be
devoured by wolves, or die of hunger, or be killed by some one else.
[May 15--32d day] We renewed our journey, when about noon it commenced
to rain we turned down to the right, & encamped, it continuing rainy, we
staid till next day; here was a small stream full of little fishes,
which if we had had a small sceine, we might have caught any amount; but
we had not so much as a fish hook, which we had forgoten to provide.

[May 16--33d day] Crossed the Big Nimahaw,[36] nooned here, there were
so many teams here crossing that we had to wait some 2 hours, for many
would not go through, until they had doubled their team; but we crossed
with our 4 yoke of small cattle, & the largest waggon there, without any
difficulty, but a little snug pulling; George said we done it _easy_;
our team is certainly no. 1. This is a fine mill stream, some very good
timber on its banks, & as rich prairie around as I ever saw, there is no
reason why it should not be settled some day. We passed the junction of
the Indipendence road,[37] there was as many teems in sight, as on ours,
& their track looked about the same, Saw a fine sheet iron stove sitting
beside the road, took it along cooked in it that night, & then left it;
for they are of very little account, unless you could have dry wood. We
met a man who was driving several cows, the men in the other waggon
recognized 4 of them, belonging to a man from their country, with whom
they had intended to travel. They asked the man where was the owner of
the cows? & why he was driving them back? he said first that he