was the
owner, & that he had bought them; but as he could not tell where the man
was, nor discribe him, they concluded he had no right to them; & finaly
he said them four he had found, & they took them away from him; & as one
of them gave milk, we were enable[d] to live quite well; & I would
advise all to take cows on this trip, if you used the milk only to make
bread, for you can do very little with yeast, & the soda & cream tarter
I do not like.

[May 17--34th day] We went on through a rich & fertile country, &
encamped some 2 ms to the left of the road, in one of the most wild and
romantic places I ever saw; the wolves howled around the tent nearly all
night, I could not sleep soundly, therefor dreamed of being attacted by
bears, & wolves; when the sharp bark of one, close to the waggon, would
rouse me from my fitful slumbers but the rest slept so soundly, that
they hardly heard them; for people sleep in general very sound, on this
trip, for being tired at night, they feel like reposing.

[May 18--35th day] Proceeded onward, crossed the Big Blue river[38]
there was a ferry here, but we forded it, although it came near running
into our waggon bed; came on some 11, ms. father [_sic_], & encamped, to
the left, down in a hollow where there was small stream; Here[39] a
doctor from the same place of those men who were travelling with us,
came up, he had started to pack through with 2 horses, but soon getting
tired of it, he had let a man have one of the horses, & provisions, to
take him through: but he said they soon wanted him to help about every
thing & he got tired of it; & offered to go through with them, & cook
for them, they concented, as one of their company had gone back which I
had forgotten to mention, for we meet some going back every day, some
have been sick, some say that they are carrying the mail; but there is
most to great a number for that purpose. [May 19--36th day] Beautiful
morning the Dr. said I could ride his horse if I liked, & having my
saddle yet, I gladly excepted it; for it is tiresome riding in the
waggon all the while, & every waggon should be provided, with at least
one good horse, for the company to ride when they are weary, or when
they wish to go out & hunt; for it is very hard to go off from the road
a hunting, & perhaps kill some game, & then have it to carry & overtake
the teams; for as slow a[s] an ox teem may seem to move, they are very
hard to catch up with, when you fall behind an h