312 T. C. Elliott difficult. Crossed a pretty broad river, which was a branch of the one we left yesterday, and on^ leaving it had a long hill to ascend with a bad road. Several more of our horses getting very weak, nothwithstanding the slow rate at which we march. The Indians tell us that we will be only another night in getting to the Fort, and that the road is better. This we have been frequently told, and found it not to be so. Sunday, May 30th. Rained part of the day, fair towards evening. Continued our journey at 6 o'clock, and encamped in an- other swamp, the only stopping place we saw during the day, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon on account of some of the weak horses not being able to come up. We had few hills today; the road was, nevertheless, full as difficult. As usual, a great deal of burnt fallen wood which was very ill to get through as it repeatedly barred up the road; there was also several boggy places w^hich were very hard upon the weak horses. Our custom has been to keep the weak horses be- hind, so that they might have the advantage of a little road after the others all passing through the bad places of fallen woods, thickets, etc. Hamdijna was behind today with four, one of which, a very weak one, stuck in a bog and he was not able to get him out. He came up with us, and Payette and a man went back to aid him and get the horse out of the bog, but he was so weak that he could not rise, and it is expected he will be dead before morning. During that time another of the weak ones, a white mare, strayed and could not be found. The old man became confused in his difficulties and cannot tell exactly about where they lost him, but he is , con- fident he had him at another bog, a little farther off where he had some difficulty getting another of the horses out. I marched ahead with the guide, myself and * * * brings up the rear, but today he came on with one of the middle
brigades or probably none of the horses would have been mis-----
