We got an early start this morning and traveled till four o'clock, distance twenty and a quarter miles. We camped near the river in high grass. The road has run close to the river all day except a few miles beyond Castle Creek and although the ground is perfectly dry, it is very rough, it having been cut up in wet weather. Watch and Wolfe Creeks had abundance of water in them, as much as when we went up. Castle River was about a foot deep. We have not seen many buffalo today but after we camped, John Norton shot two at one shot. L. Barney also killed a young cow. The weather is yet fine and very warm.
This day we traveled only sixteen and a quarter miles, then camped a quarter of a mile east of Rattlesnake Creek on the banks of the river. In this creek, there is still a very heavy current of water running. It appears that some of the brethren left their fires burning this morning and the prairie has caught fire and is still burning furiously.
This morning I wrote a short letter and left it in a post for the company behind. We traveled twenty miles and camped on Bluff Creek. The day fine and very warm.
This morning we calculated to travel eleven miles, but on arriving at the North Bluff fork, we found no grass and were compelled to continue on. We traveled till the road strikes the river and some grass, then camped, having traveled eighteen and a half miles. Three buffalo have been killed today and there are considerable in this region. Two of the oxen gave out and had to be left on the road.
This morning we traveled four and a quarter miles, then camped opposite some islands where there is pretty good feed and willows. The day has been exceedingly warm and the brethren have dried a good quantity of meat. Considerable anxiety and feeling has originated in the breasts of two or three brethren in consequence of a rumor being circulated which deeply concerns one individual but it is not known whom. In the evening, a strong north wind blew up which made it turn very cool.
Cool and pleasant. We traveled twenty and three quarters miles and found that the last company have made a new road near the bluffs to avoid a very bad slough. We went a little on the old road and then struck across to the new road but had considerable difficulty in crossing the slough. We camped beside a small lake of not very good water and several miles from timber.