"Sunday, the 16th of May," he says, "was cold. With Brothers Young, Kimball, Benson, Rockwell, and Stephens, I rode four miles over the bluffs to pick out a road for the pioneers that they might again get on to the bottom land. We had a good meeting in the afternoon and the laws of the camp were read. One of the brethren had shot an antelope and a buffalo. It was a violation of the camp to go hunting on the Sabbath. The 17th was warm and pleasant, but the road was difficult. For two and a half miles we drove through sand bluffs and again struck the bottom land four and a half miles from the camping place. The hunters brought in three buffaloes which detained the camp for some time. President Young was not pleased with the excessive hunting, as they already had much meat in the camp. Large herds of deer were seen in the valley, more than had been seen before. A young fawn was picked up and brought into camp. I led the company of pioneers mostly through the bluffs in the morning before Brothers Young and Kimball came up. Upon their arrival, we rode together all day picking out the road. "The next day the camp was called together and President Young reproved sharply the hunters for killing more game than {286} was necessary, for detaining the camp, and because of their indifference in helping to pick out the road. He said there were but two men who had manifested any interest in helping to get the pioneers along. Afterward the horsemen went forward to pick out the road instead of hunting, and I did not hear a gun fired during the day." The spring was well advanced and rain began to take the place of wind. Elder Woodruff in his journal entry of May 19th says: "We encountered today the worst sandhill on the journey; and what made it worse, the rain was pouring down continuously. We had more rain today than during the whole journey. I rode forward during the day, picking out the road. We made eight miles. "Next morning we made seven miles and nooned near Ash Creek, on the south side of the river where the Oregon road first strikes the north fork of the Platte. Several of the brethren went over in the boat, which we were taking along, to examine the rocky bluffs, roads, creek, etc. "In the afternoon, we traveled eight and three-quarters miles and camped for the night. We had a very good road most of the day on the bank of the river. There was a good deal of rocky bluff on both sides of the river, and some on the south side was formed into natural terraces, rotundas, squares, etc., from fifty to a hundred feet high and looked like good foundations for fortifications and strong-holds. They resemble the works of art and look something like the old castles of England and Scotland. They were level on the top. There is a beautiful Cedar Island in the river a short distance above Ash Creek which is a good landmark to show travelers where the Oregon road strikes the river."