Page 14 - Keays Diary with forward 1866 and Cover

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and that was some beautiful perpetual peas in bloom, which one of the

Gentlemen brought to me; the sweetest things I ever saw, they were so

fragrant and beautiful.

We also found several colors wild daisy, very fragrant, I wish

I had same of the roots.

Friday morning 11 -- We had a novel camping place last night,

no less than the bad of the Big Muddy a ravine large enough to float a

large boat but no running water in it. The stream consists of patches

of horrid muddy water, and dry land, there is no timber on it at all,

consequently we had to draw wood from stream called Elm Creek where we

ate dinner, some 10 miles; but it was pleasant after we put our tent up,

and we had such splendid sunset and sunrise views that I for one vote it

a nice thing for once, but might get played out if we were obliged to

haul wood and carry water on last night. We got water from the Stage

Station, where they let us have it to our surprise, for one expects in
this section to pay for any favor.

The walls around here all through are very deep, nearly all

over 100 feet

We are now about 28 or 30 miles from Fort Kearney on the Platte

River which we are all very anxious to reach, no matter how much one

enjoys the present, they always look in hope of better, to the future.

Here on this Big Muddy, which is rightly named, there is no

sight of timber or improvements but one solitary Stage Station; I should

think it must be the monotonous place to live in this vast universe; to

be sure, there is a never ending stream of people, but they never saw

them before and never will again probably; the poor things, they may all