"the weather moderate [ ] south wind"
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The pioneers are being threatened by prairie fires as far as they could see. So much so that they needed to go back to an island in the Platte River so they were more secure from the flames. They are right near today's Lexington, Nebraska, a historical trading post named Plum Creek.
Jacob Norton's journal:
"Wednesday, 5th The Buffalo are in sight on all sides of us this morning I was on guard with my Ten from 12 til 4 A.M.—started ½ past 7 traveled 4 miles over burnt Prarie & halted where there was some small patches of grass [ ]In about an hour wee proceeded on [ ] after going 3 miles our hunters came in from the right with a report that they had killed a Buffalo cow & 5 calves & they brought one in alive the boys foolishly thinking to take it along with the cows. The President had directed them not kill, anny thing they could not bring in on their Horses, but the anxiety among some men to signaliz themselves, by killing a Buffalo, or an antelope is so great that they cannot refrain from the shedding of blood without a commandment [ ] well they had better learn wisdom [ ] the fires were burning so rapidly here that they concluded to stop til morning so the cutter went to bring in the cow while wee filed off to a small island & camped [ ] whole distance today, 12 miles"
"Wednesday, 5th The Buffalo are in sight on all sides of us this morning I was on guard with my Ten from 12 til 4 A.M.—started ½ past 7 traveled 4 miles over burnt Prarie & halted where there was some small patches of grass [ ]In about an hour wee proceeded on [ ] after going 3 miles our hunters came in from the right with a report that they had killed a Buffalo cow & 5 calves & they brought one in alive the boys foolishly thinking to take it along with the cows. The President had directed them not kill, anny thing they could not bring in on their Horses, but the anxiety among some men to signaliz themselves, by killing a Buffalo, or an antelope is so great that they cannot refrain from the shedding of blood without a commandment [ ] well they had better learn wisdom [ ] the fires were burning so rapidly here that they concluded to stop til morning so the cutter went to bring in the cow while wee filed off to a small island & camped [ ] whole distance today, 12 miles"
