We must leave everything here we can get along without.  No clothing except that on our backs.  Only a camp kettle in which to make soup, a tin cup for each one, and some knives and spoons which each happen to have.  Each one had some sort of a canteen for water, which we must fill up at every opportunity, and we decided to carry a shovel along, so we might bury the body of Capt.  Culverwell, and shovel up a pile of sand at the falls to enable us to get the oxen over.  Every ox had a cloth halter on his head, so he might be led, or tied up at night when we had a dry camp, and they would most assuredly wander off if not secured.  Old Crump was chosen to lead the train, and Rogers was to lead him.  We had made an extra halter for this old fellow, and quite a long strip of bed ticking sewed into a strap to lead him by.

This packing business was a new idea, and a hard matter to get anything firmly fixed on their backs.

We had made shoulder straps, hip straps, breast straps and breeching as the correct idea for a harness.  The only way we could fasten the band around the animals was for one to get on each side and pull it as tight as possible then tie a knot, as we had no buckles or ring in our harness.

The loads of the oxen consisted of blankets and bedding and a small, light tent of their sheeting about four by six feet in size.  We rose early and worked hard till about the middle of the forenoon getting all things ready.  They had been in a state of masterly inactivity so long in this one camp that they were anxious to leave it now forever.  Only in progress was there hope, and this was our last and only chance.  We must succeed or perish.  We loaded the animals from the wagons, and some of the oxen seemed quite afraid at this new way of carrying loads.  Old Crump was pretty steady, and so was the one with the two water kegs one on each side but the other oxen did not seem to think they needed any blankets on these warm days.

Mrs. Arcane was from a city, and had fondly conveyed thus far some articles of finery, of considerable value and much prized.  She could not be persuaded to leave them here to deck the red man’s wife, and have her go flirting over the mountains with, and as they had little weight she concluded she would wear them and this perhaps would preserve them.  So she got out her best hat and trimmed it up with extra ribbon leaving some with quite long ends to stream out behind.  Arcane brought up his ox Old Brigham, for he had been purchased at Salt Lake and named in honor of the great Mormon Saint.

Mrs. Arcane also dressed her little boy Charlie up In his best suit of clothes, for she thought they might as well wear them out as to throw them away.  She made one think of a fairy in gay and flying apparel.  In the same way all selected their best and most serviceable garments, for it was not considered prudent to carry any load, and poor clothes were good enough to leave for Indians.  We set it down as a principle that we must save ourselves all we could, for it would be a close contested struggle with us and death, at the very best, and we wanted to get all the advantage for ourselves we could.  As we were making the preparations the women grew more hopeful, as it seemed as if something was really going to be accomplished.