As one of my own tasks for June 5 I find that a young man was ordered staked out as a punishment for making a threat to shoot another with whom he had quarreled, and the duty of guarding the culprit devolved upon me as junior officer. This was in itself very disagreeable, but rendered doubly so by the young fellow trying to quarrel with me, while I acted as guard.
June 6.—"We were on the Burnett Trail of 1843, which started from near Independence. There were hints of dissatisfaction at our delays for what were deemed insufficient reasons.
"Somewhat cloudy this morning. Camp remains stationary to-day on account of the illness of Mrs. Gage, the general's daughter. Yesterday we were much cheered and revived on striking the Burnett Trace."
June 7.—"Made a good start and came to a creek in a distance of about one and a half miles. We found the creek up and rising, and are water-stayed until we can build a boat. This causes some dissatisfaction in camp, as they think they might have gone over yesterday."—Parrish's Journal.
The first wagon arrived at the Bank at 1 o'clock P. M., and some of the wagons might have gone over then, though the stream was rising rapidly. Next day it was bank full and still rising. Then we were sixteen days at or near this stream.
On June 13, all except four families were compelled to break camp and move on to higher ground, the bottoms becoming flooded. It rained every day from the seventh to the seventeenth, inclusive, and sometimes very heavy. Had we moved as we should on the sixth, we should have crossed the Big Blue with or before Ford's company. Instead, we did not get away from the Big Blue till June 25. Our delay was a grave misfortune. Our men all did everything better when traveling every day.
