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This is an interesting day.
Heber C. Kimball and Ezra T. Benson were up ahead a way scouting when they were bothered by some Indians who jumped out at them from the bushes in the side of the trail and was whooping it up trying to scare them. They had their horses hidden nearby and finally retrieved them and rode parallel from them for a while. It didn't take long for the two men to figure out that these were not Indians. They not only saw them ride into one of the Missouri camp, but while they were doing their whooping and hollering, they realized they were Whites and not Indians. And they were. The Missourians did not want the pioneers to get the good campground so they did this trick thing to scare the pioneers off to a different direction. And just a few days ago, the pioneers spent quite some time in helping the Missouri train cross over the Platte.
William Clayton tells about it as Brother Kimball told him:
"BR. Kimball states that when he and BR. Benson were riding ahead last evening to look out a camping ground; they came within a quarter of a mile of this place but were not near enough to discover the water. A while before they arrived here as they were riding slowly along, they saw six men suddenly spring up from the grass to the left of the road. The men were clothed in Blankets some white and some blue, and had every appearance of being Indians, and the brethren thought they were Indians. The six mounted their horses and started on in a direction parallel with the road. The brethren also kept on their course. In a little while one of the supposed Indians left the rest and rode towards the brethren and motioned with his hand for them to go back. They however kept on and paid no regard to his motion. When he saw them still coming, he wheeled round and joined the others who all put spurs to their horses and were soon out of sight behind a higher piece of land. Soon as they were out of sight, BR Kimball & Benson spurred their horses and rode to the ridge, and as they arrived there, they discovered a Camp of the Missourians about a quarter of a mile to the left of the road, and the six Indians were just entering the Camp. The brethren were now satisfied that these Indians were Missourians and had taken this plan to keep us back from this good campground. It is considered as an old Missouri trick and an insult to the camp, and if they undertake to play Indian again, it is more than likely they will meet with Indian treatment. Their camp left here a little before we arrived this morning and it is now President Young's intentions to press on a little faster and crowd them up a little".
I just love Brigham's thinking in 'crowding them up a little' to bother them. Go Brigham!! Who would have thought they'd still be having these little troubles with the Missourians this far away from Nauvoo and Missouri and out in all this unorganized land, thousands and thousands of miles, and they still can't shed the Missourians. It's ridiculous. Some of the Missouri people were recognized as those who had taken part in Joseph's murder in Carthage. That must have been hard for them.
