Page 24 - Keays Diary with forward 1866 and Cover
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wet the grass, so we were in there "as snug as a bug in a rug", the men
and horses had a bad time, but we had nice wood and soon had a hot supper
on the table; it snowed several inches, but in thawing of and we will
start on this morning.
There is considerable timber in Fremont Orchard, but no fruit
trees, mostly all Cottonwoods.
Tuesday morning 29 – We have had some terrible bad sand hills
yesterday and today, but are finally at the Ferry, no immediate prospect
of crossing but hope for the best.
There has been considerable timber all the way from Fremonts
Orchard the first timber we have had since Cottonwood.
We are so near the Mountains that they loom up considerable,
they look near but are over 30 miles away I suppose.
Our men, two of them, went over the Bluffs for Antelope, and
Mr. Fount Peterson was so fortunate as to shoot one, while we are wait-
ing here very impatiently for it to come up, in order to cook some for
dinner. It is quite vasatdous? to have to stop here instead of keeping
on to Aunties (Mrs. E. Stone), which we would reach by noon tomorrow if
not detailed here.
Wednesday. Finding the ferry not arriving, Mr. Knute Nelson,
our visitor, went up to Latham Station Tuesday evening, and found the
horses could ford the Platte there, and a skiff in which we could cross
our things, it was 5 miles above, and, we picked up and started thinking
we would do better than to wait at the Ferry. It had been a lovely
morning, but all at once while we were on the way a thunder cloud arose,
blew cold and in about an hour it hailed, snowed, and rained as severe
as I ever witnessed; the storm was short, and we were all obliged to
stay in the wagon, or doing nothing until it was done, when the men went
to work and put up the tent.