Arose at 5:30, my head and face very bad indeed. I ate but little
breakfast, although we had a couple of ducks and a snipe. We started
out at 7:30, the morning pleasant except a strong west wind. At 9:15
arrived at Shell creek, which is about six or eight feet wide, and a
poor bridge over it, but all the wagons got well over. This is about
five miles from where we camped last night. We then passed through a
small grove of timber, and entered again upon the wide, open prairie
bottom. At 11:30 we stopped beside a small slough or lake to feed and
eat, etc., being five miles from Shell creek. While stopping here,
three deer passed about half a mile west of the wagons. O. P.
Rockwell and Thomas Brown chased them on horses four or five miles, but
did not succeed in taking any of them. The wind has fallen considerably
and it is very warm and dusty. At 1:00 p.m. started again, the horse
teams taking the lead, traveled about ten miles farther and encamped
near a cotton wood grove on the banks of the river. The encampment was
formed about half past five. Tanner's bellows and anvil were set up and
a number of tires set before dark.
John S. Higbee, Luke Johnson, S. Markham, and some others, started
ahead of the camp about noon, and went about two miles farther than
this place to a lake with the boat and seine. They took over 200 very
nice fish, and arrived with them about the time the camp was formed.
The fish were distributed around the camp according to the number of
persons in each wagon, generally two to a wagon, and the brethren
enjoyed a good supper on fish. I went to the river and washed my feet
which were very dusty and sore. I also washed my socks as well as I
could in cold water without soap. After Brother Luke Johnson had got
through distributing fish, I went and asked him to draw my tooth. He
willingly agreed and getting his instruments, I sat down in a chair,
he lanced the gum, then took his nippers and jerked it out. The whole
operation did not take more than one minute. He only got half the
original tooth, the balance being left in the jaw. After this my head
and face pained me much more than before. I ate but little supper and
then lay down, but could not sleep for pain till near morning. The
evening was very calm and pleasant.