Our road led us around the base of the mountain; There were many large rocks in our way, some as large as houses, but we wound around among them in a very crooked way and managed to get along.  The feet of the oxen became so sore that we made moccasins for them from the hide of the ox that was killed, and with this protection they got along very well.  Our trains now consisted of seven wagons.  Bennett had two; Arcane two; Earhart Bros. one.  Culverwell, Fish and others one; and there was one other, the owners of which I have forgotten.  The second night we had a fair camp with water and pretty fair grass and brush for the oxen.  We were not very far from the snow line and this had some effect on the country.  When Bennett retired that night he put on a camp kettle of the fresh beef and so arranged the fire that it would cook slowly and be done by daylight for breakfast.  After an hour or so Mr. Bennett went out to replenish the fire and see how the cooking was coming on, and when I went to put more water in the kettle, he found that to his disappointment, the most of the meat was gone.  I was rolled up in my blanket under his wagon and awoke when he came to the fire and saw him stand and look around as if to fasten the crime on the right party if possible, but soon he came to me, and in a whisper said:  “Did you see anyone around the fire after we went to bed?” I assured him I did not, and then he told me some one had taken his meat.  “Do you think,” said he “that any one is so near out of food as to be starving?” “I know the meat is poor, and who ever took it must be nearly starving.”  After a whispered conversation we went to bed, but we both rose at daylight and, as we sat by the fire, kept watch of those who got up and came around.  We thought we knew the right man, but were not sure, and could not imagine what might happen if stealing grub should begin and continue.  It is a sort of unwritten law that in parties such as ours, he who steals provisions forfeits his life.  We knew we must keep watch and if the offense was repeated the guilty one might be compelled to suffer.  Bennett watched closely and for a few days I kept closely with the wagons for fear there might be trouble.  It was really the most critical point in our experience.  After three or four days all hope of detecting the criminal had passed, and all danger was over out of any difficulty.

One night we had a fair camp, as we were close to the base of the snow butte, and found a hole of clear or what seemed to be living water.  There were a few minnows in it not much more than an inch long.  This was among a big pile of rocks, and around these the oxen found some grass.

There now appeared to be a pass away to the south as a sort of outlet to the great plain which lay to the north of us, but immediately west and across the desert waste, extending to the foot of a low black range of mountains, through which there seemed to be no pass, the distant snowy peak lay still farther on, with Martin’s pass over it still a long way off though we had been steering toward it for a month.  Now as we were compelled to go west this impassable barrier was in our way and if no pass could be found in it we would be compelled to go south and make no progress in a westerly direction.