repassing along the road, while you are eating your meal on a
log, or stump, or the end board of your waggon, with your tin plates tin
cups &c. For my part I felt _kinder streaked_[5] at first, especially
while we traveled in the states. As I said we did not camp out the first
night & having plenty of victuals with us went in made some tea, fried
some eggs, eat our suppers, & were accomodated with a fine bed, which is
a great luxury after a hard days travel; but my thoughts and reflections
were such that I could not readily fall asleep. Who is there that does
not recollect their first night when started on a long journey, the
wellknown voices of our friends still ring in our ears, the parting kiss
feels still warm uppon our lips, & that last seperating word _Farewell!_
sinks deeply into the heart. It may be the last we may ever hear from
some or all of them, & to those who start for California there can be no
more solemn scene of parting only at death; for how many are now
sleeping in death on the lonely plains whose Farewell was indeed their
last.

[April 15--2d day] But to return, we started in the morning of our
seckond day, a fine clear sky, but the roads rather muddy. Loyd[6]
killed ten plovers with 2 shots of his double barrel shotgun, which we
dressed, & had a fine supper, which we cooked by a log in the wood where
we camped for the night, about half a mile west of Ewington.[7] We
obtained lodging nearby, slept soundly started in the morning [April
16--3d day] after preparing our hasty meal; it soon commenced raining I
kept in the waggon, we killed 2 ducks & some plovers, bought some
butter, & at night having come about 21 miles we encamped had a fine
supper, the proprietor of the place came down & spent the evening with
us around our large fire, we went up to the house with him stayed 'till
morning, yoked up our team started on our journey [April 17--4th day],
killed 2 squirrels & some quails, 3 horse teams passed us to-day for
California, we put up to-night 3 miles east of Greenville.[8]

[April 18--5th day] To day Sunday passed through the beautiful town of
Greenville which approached from the east has a very picturesque
appearance from the hill which overlooks the town & surrounding country,
Crossed Lookingglass Prairie[9] which is the most beautiful & fertile
prairie I ever saw, but being so large it is but thinly settled,
encamped on the west side of it, at a house, it being to late to reach
the timber th