20th. We camped last night on the prairie without wood or water, only
some rotten slough water, bad enough to poison a horse. We had a wind
storm, with heavy thunder, just at night, but no rain. It came upon us
instantly without warning, and before we could secure our tents they
were all blown down but two, which were protected by, and secured to
the wagons. It was terrific, raising loaded wagons on the side next to
the wind, two feet from the ground; we expected they would be blown
over, and nothing saved them from being overturned but their loads, for
if they had not been loaded they would have been swept away before the
wind like feathers. Some of the time it was impossible for a man to
keep his feet. I never saw such a storm of wind in the States, and hope
I may not see another on this journey. We drove 26 miles and camped on
an island in the Platte, or Nebraska river, about two miles below Fort
Kearney, where we found plenty of grass and fuel. Saw some antelope,
deer and buffalo to-day, but did not try to kill any.