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a thick mucilage resembling soap suds, camped in a low bottom, it rained very hard in the night, but being very tired it did not interfere materially with my sleeping. 20th awoke with a severe headache & back ache & felt quite unwell started about 9 oclock & about noon came in sight of "Bents? Fort" A trading post & fort built by a Mr Bent? the walls are made of sun dried brick or "Adobes" the walls are nearly square,, in the centre is an open space & against the walls on the inside are the different rooms for dwelling & store rooms, these are roofed by split rails covered with mud or clay, I suppose to prevent them from being set on fire by the indians in case of an attack, Mr Bent? was absent at St Louis, on business & only three men & some squaws & children were in the fort, heard here that the Utes & Apaches had joined together in hostility to the whites, & that a body of American troops some 400? were about 70n miles distant & had yesterday sent to the fort for a guide, camped near the fort until Saturday, we were therefore disappointed in getting a guide here. our company had meetings & after mature deliberation appointed four men = Mr Thurbur (our present guide, who would leave us here for Santa Fe) Mr Thorn & Mr Brown & myself to go to a little fortified settlement called Greenhorn, about 100 miles distant, & see if we could there engage a guide to Salt Lake City, across the mountains. Dr White the president of our company concluded to accompany us, which made five in all, the company