Morning fine but cool. At 7:50 the camp started out again in good
health and spirits and the teams in very good order. It was remarked
by several that their stock had fattened so much while stopping at
the ferry, they hardly knew them. The grass appears to be rich and
good. The first six miles of the road was nearly in a west direction
over several considerably high bluffs. At that distance the road turns
suddenly to the south and rises up a very high bluff which is upwards
of a mile from the foot to the summit. There is some interesting
scenery on the top of this bluff, especially a range of rough, coarse,
sandy rocks of a dark brown color, rising abruptly above the surface
of the land in huge masses and ranging east and west. The descent
on the south side was rough, crooked and uneven, and about half way
down was a bed of white earth mixed with black in places and others
yellow. In one place you can pick up small fragments of rock of each
color within a yard of each other. Towards the foot, the road is still
more uneven and there are several steep pitches and rises. At one
o'clock we halted for noon on a spot of good grass about a quarter of
a mile from a small spring which is the first water we have come to
since leaving the ferry which is eleven and a quarter miles. There
is no timber nearer than the bluffs probably two miles away and that
is small cedar and little of it. The Red Buttes are nearly opposite
to this place towards the southeast and appear to be two high bluffs
of red earth or sand, presenting a very triangular, yet interesting
appearance. After stopping about an hour it was decided to move on
to the spring and we started accordingly and found it to be a small
stream of water rising out of the quick sands. At the distance of
twelve miles from the ferry there is quite a lake of water supposed
to be supplied by a spring. Indeed we could see the water boil up out
of the mud in several places. The grass on the banks of this lake is
good and plentiful but no timber within two miles or upwards. After
watering teams at the lake, at ten minutes to three we continued our
journey, bearing near a southwest course over rolling prairie. At the
distance of eight miles from the spring there is a steep descent from
a bluff and at the foot there is a high ridge of sharp pointed rocks
running parallel with the road for near a quarter of a mile, leaving
only sufficient space for wagons to pass. At the south point there is a
very large rock lying close to where the road makes a bend, making it
somewhat difficult to get by without striking it. The road is also very
rough with cobble stones. At 7:40 we formed our encampment in a small
spot surrounded by high bluffs, having traveled this afternoon ten
and a quarter miles and during the day twenty-one and a half which is
the longest distance we have traveled in one day since we left Winter
Quarters, and this is considered by all to be the worst camping ground
we have had on the journey, but we were obliged to take it for there
is neither wood, grass, nor water since we left the spring. The land
being perfectly sandy and barren, and nothing growing but wild sage and
a small prickly shrub something like those on the moors in Lancashire,
England. There is some grass in this place for our teams but no wood.
The brethren have to make use of the wild sage and buffalo chips to do
their cooking. There are two small streams of water, one appears to
come from the northwest and is not very bad water; the other is from
the southwest and is so bad that cattle will not drink it. It is strong
of salt or rather saleratus and smells extremely filthy. Its banks are
so perfectly soft that a horse or ox cannot go down to drink without
sinking immediately nearly overhead in thick, filthy mud, and is one
of the most horrid, swampy, stinking places I ever saw. It was found
necessary to keep a guard out to prevent the cattle from getting into
it and orders were given to drive them down a little east where feed is
pretty good and it is not so dangerous of their miring. The mosquitoes
are very bad indeed at this place which adds to the loathsome, solitary
scenery around. Porter Rockwell returned from hunting soon after we had
camped and reported that he had killed a fat buffalo about two miles
off. A team was sent to fetch in the meat which they did not return
till long after dark. Elder Kimball saw six buffalo while riding ahead
to look out a camp ground. They are represented as being more tame.
Myers killed two buffalo, but took only the tallow and tongues and left
the rest to rot on the ground. John Norton and Andrew Gibbons left the
camp at the springs and went out to hunt, expecting we should stay
there till Monday. Gibbons has not been seen or heard of since. Norton
has returned and reports that he has killed a buffalo and left it back
not far from the spring. About nine o'clock there was an alarm that an
ox had mired. He was nearly covered but soon got out again.