The Red Cloud chief., 1888-04-06

day, an never seemed one step furder to-
ards the end. Two of the apostles an
some elders was with US till we got across
the river at Council Bluffs, then the apos-
ties an most of the elders left US. They
had three er four cerrigcs amongst 'em.
an w spring wagons with horses to haul
their provisions, an es a squad of cavalry
wa goin' to Fort Laramie, they went along.
an was in Salt Lake long afOre the snow
flew.
"But what had we afore us but work an
sufferin' an the plains stretchln' furever
and furcver away in front Of US! We
couldn't make fur in a day, not more'n ten
er fifteen mile. Our shoes wore through
onto our feet, an our feet wore into holes,
an our hands was blistered an cracked an
raw from q puliin' on the carts. Then our
provisions begun to run low, fer We didn't
hev enough wen we started, an we TUX to
suferin' from hunger IN most of the time
from thirst. Most on us prayed an seemed
to keep up faith, but all on us begun to 81:
hollcr-eycd and silent. We seed that life
an death wa afOrc us with life the furd-
est away, an we strained forrcds day after
day with our teeth set q prayin' under our
breath an sufferin'.
"All through August the u come up
out of the plain to the east es red cs blood
an went blazin' on over our heads es we
tOiled On'ard through the sand. an red es
blood sunk into the plain in the west, IN it
seemed like we'd ~scurccly moved. Then
we'd be too wore out to pitch the tents. an
would Jest drap down Onter blankets er the
bare ground, a n lay there tell that burnin'
ball OF blood come blazin' onto us agin
from the east. an we'd eat a little sOmethin'
an stagger on. 1t was turrible! Sometimes
m er two of the puny ones ID be dead when
mOrnin' come, an we'd bury 'cm in the
SANE an leave 'em. 1t seemed like it was
furcver q drOuth in that desert; dry, dry,
dcad-dry, an always the waves Of heat
that seemed q million wrinkles of hot melt
in glass, would hover IN hover. an CULVER
an burn an beat, tell ones eyeballs vas
red, an some slavered at the mouth an
numbled of water an shade An rest. an
wandered in their minds. An sometimes,
away up in h stagnant air we'd see the
bodies Of insects aflOatin' like fakes Of
ashes, en- they'd flicker an glimmcr an
drap down onto us nOthin' but dead shells
like bits of tinsel. An the stream we wa
tryin' to follcr got to be nOthin' morc'n a
string of green pools sprinkled with scales
an dry fish-cyes, an we'd creep down to it
an sip at it with cracked lips, an staggcr
on agin.
..But at last VIC drawed out of that part Of
the desert, leavin' our pore dead behind,
but it was the last of September afore the
mountings hove in sight. an the sun sunk
down for Il week amongst the snOw-cove-ed
peaks: / remember. aforc We reached ZEN
VIC was SO sick an lame an wore Oat. l
that all them days my head seemed
goin' round an round cs l pulled. an the
blood KEEP abuZzin' in nv ears. an some
times I'd get blind an couldn't see nary
thing afore me, but u sOrter clear sense
KEEP alive in my head. too. fer death was
shOrely afOrc us if We gin up. A good many
did gin up, especial the ole an puny ones.
we'd seldom leave u camp-ground in the
mOrnin' without two err three had to be
buried. 1t was turrible! We didn't look
much into each others faces at them bury
ms, fer We knowcd what was afOrc us an
bear il.
"Well, at last we drawed INTO Laramie.
o, how we'd looked forrcd to this, fer
there the Apostles had promised that we'd
find 4 supply of pervisions awaitin' fer US.
but nOthin' was there. Then things begun
to look black. We had a meetin' an figgered
Oh Our chances. an We found that at the
we'd ben a-travelin' an ut the amount
of rations we'd got each day, which was Il
pound of flour each. we'd not hev Il mouth
full left wen We was yit three hundred
of the end OF our journey. So we
tut down the ration to nine ounces of -four
each fer gro.ycd folks an four to seven
fer the young ones. Then we pulled
ahead with what little s.rcnth we had left.
maxim every mile we could. fer it was life
an death with Us. Wen we started there
vas four err five mich COWS to every hun
ired persons, but now they was strung Ill
through the desert. dead, an we had to
rink whatever we could git. which was
mostly alkali water, that left our mouths
bloody an raw; an u steers. too, had
been stampeded by a herd of buTalos back
,n the plain, an On'y one yoke of OXen each
vas left to u wagon. an es they couldn't
haul the wagons that way through the SAN
IN stones loaded SO heavy, 4 sack of flour
each Of the hand-cartsw was tuck Ofrn 'em
an put onto us. 1t was like death itself to
,dd another pound to the weight Of 'em. fer |
OTIS of us could scurcely hold up the han
lies much less pull, but the wimmen an
would push behind an some would
yt inside the handles an pull. an with
ZONE a-cryin', an some a%-prayin'. an some
ookin' blind an dumb, we struggled Oh.
about that time, l mind, One day a party
With three smart cerriges an some light
'pring wagons come adashin' up behind us.
{ turned out to be three of the Apostles
md four Elders an a son of President
They was a returnin' from a preach
n our through the South. Well, they
'taid over night with us. AZ in the rnOrnin'
Apostle Richards preached to Us, rcbukin'
IS fer the secmin' lack of faith amongst us,
IN tellin' us the Lord would keep the
winter back if need be on our account. an
hat they'd hev provisions sent out to meet
Is al South Pass. Then they rode away in
heir ccrrigcS. takin' some of our best
with 'en. They didn't realize
,ur conditions, l reckon; leastwise the mis-
axes of men don't affect the revelations of
Lord: them air above errors In the like.
But | must say pine blank most on us
purity black around the heart them
ines. Some on Us WIS dyin' every day an
,ein' left under Il pile of stones fer the
to dig ut. an the liNin' WIS s.arvin'
m :.dyin' by inches at the carts, bot we
triv on'ard in the desperation Of dispair.
5 two fIi,tlys from Tennessee KEEP toSetil-
r the best We could. Tho ether family
vas pore like US ar had g.n most what they
lad 10 the cause. The man had never bon
an now he got worst. He had two