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42 In the morning we got up very early to prepare for crofsing the river we had breakfast before daylight sometimes the sun would raise over the hills before ten O clock. We put four teams to one wagon and started towards the ford the river was about ten yards wide and about as deep as the wagon bed the bottom being made of great stones carried down by the force of the water, it was a miniature Niagara the roaring of the water made our voices inaudible as we rushed our horses madly into the stream the only chance to get over without capsizing is to crofs it quick as the horses can gallop. We got the first wagon acrofs in glorious style and the steep hill on the other side before the horses could be stopped we had to then go back again with the teams for the other three wagons they were all brought over in the same manner. We were now in a terrible rough place the road lay over huge rocks sometimes the wagon would have to jump from rock to rock I thought every moment it would smash to pieces after making about two miles we again came to the Platt River our course lay straight acrofs it and we had the same labor in again crossing it the wagon we had to crofs the same river trice was because the only practicable road lay in the valleys and we had to travel there no matter how much longer the road was nor what obstacles lay in the way. We crossed the same river no lefs than five times on that day and twice on the next day making nine times in all the sufferings and hardships we endured on each occasion of crossing cannot be described on paper sometimes the wagon would get fast in the middle of the stream probably wedged against a great stone that came down with the flood then we would have to wade into the stream and with crowbar and levers pry it out of the way the water was icy cold and when we came out the chill mountain air would stiffen us up with cold to make matters worse a snow