Pgs 412-686 - Illinois Ancestors

470 BIOGRAPHY AND REMINISCENCES
almost fri htened those ~~naccustolnecl
such sights and sounds, but
still no dyoming dawned upon their anxious eyes. At length night
came on, the team mas exhttustecl, the clri ver confessetl llimself lost,
ancl there was no alternative bnt to wait the damning of another day
upon the open prairie. The horses ate eagerly of the grass around
them, the women crept faint and hungry under the shelter of the
wagon cover, ancl the Inen threw tlleinselres upon the gro~~ntl beneatl~.
They mere all too excited to sleep much ; the women's minds mere
busy thinking of the homes ancl frjencls they had left. contrasting the
comfort of that life with the hardships of this, for although they had
brateed their lnincls to meet l~ravely whatever befell, yet this mas ;L
erforlnance not thought of when the programlne was made out.
khen Mrs. William Hall had in her English home revealed to ller
mother her plan, to be inarriecl shortly, ancl two meelcs thereafter to
set out for America, the goocl woman exclaimed: ' Oh, Anne, you are
going to suck clown sorrow by the spoonful.' That night on the
prairie, ancl many a night afterwards her daughter remembered those
words, ancl perchance thought them prophetic. When they suspentletl
their journey the lightning mas playing about the horizon, and by
midnight a storm broke upon theln such as they llatl never conceivetl
of, and such as is rarely mitnessecl here, of late years. But morning
came at last, the rain had ceased, and they startecl agrtin for Wyoming,
or any other point where foocl and shelter coulcl be obtained, and
about ten o'clock A. nr., the cabin of General Thomas was reached.
Itefreshed by a good breakfast and a brief rest, the emigrt~nts again
started for~vard, only to renew tlle experiences of the previous day
with new complications. Thev first made for Mr. James I-Iolgate's
place, and there got clirections for Seeley's Point, pretty \\-ell to the
east of the grove. By this route they hoped to reach the unoccupietl
cabin of Mr. Buswell, of ~vlillich they mere to take possession until they
could build one. But Spoon river must be crossetl by a deep ancl dmb
werous ford, ~vhere the chances were very good that the ~vllole loat1
woulcl capsize down the steep bank into the water, and by the time
this clifficultv was clisposecl of, the shades of evening were again closing
arouncl t'hem.
William Hall, who it will be remembered had been over this
route but lately, to make his claim, now l~roposecl to leave the
party aucl make his way on foot directly to the cabin, Bindle
a, fire to guide the rest, and have some foocl in readiness when
they arrived. He was spurred on to this course, tnol-e especially
as his goung wife was alreacly ailing uncler the combined strain of
fatigue and excitement, and he fearecl if rest ancl refreshment coultl not
soon be procuretl she mould be seriously ill. IIe succeetled in carr,ving
out his part of the contract without 1nuc11 clifficulty , ant1 by nightfall a
bright fire was blazing on the rude hearth of the ctll~in. Eut no ~1~agon
put in an appearance, and the solitary matcher looketl and listened in
vain for any sight or sound of the wanderers. In fact they were far
to the northeast of the grove, near where .'tile town of Osceola was
afterwards laid out - the team flounderetl hopelessly among the big
sloughs, and the driver again pretty well confused as to the points of