noon
Forty yoke of oxen were hitched to every vehicle , and we had no losses . On the other side we found the prairie burned over , and we traveled all day until evening in order to reach a suitable camping place with sufficient grass for our animals . As there was no water and the cattle were suffering , we were compelled to drive our herd back to the river and return again that same night . The rising sun found us under way again , and by noon we came to good camping ground with an abundance of grass and water . Now we were past the most dangerous part of our journey , leaving the Comanche country and entering the domain of the Ute Indians and other tribes , who were not as brave as the Arapahoes and Comanches . Here our caravan-formation was broken up and each outfit traveled separately at its own risk . The next day we witnessed a most horrible and distressing sight .