[William Clayton Journal] Morning fine, mosquitoes very bad.Two more oxen found almost buried in the mud and all handsappeared wishful to leave this place and at a quarter past 5 o'clockwe moved out...Elder Kimball states that when he and ElderBenson were riding ahead last evening to look out a campingground they came within a quarter of a mile of this place butwere not near enough to discover the water. A while before theyarrived here as they were riding slowly along they saw 6 mensuddenly spring up from the grass to the left of the road. Themen were clothed in Blankets some white and some blue, and hadevery appearance of being Indians, and the brethren thought theywere Indians. The six mounted their horses and started on in adirection parallel with the road. The brethren also kept on theircourse. In a little while one of the supposed Indians left the restand rode towards the brethren and motioned with his hand forthem to go back. They however kept on and paid no attention tohis motion. When he saw them still coming he wheeled roundand joined the others who all put spur to their horses and weresoon out of sight behind a higher piece of land. Soon as they wereout of sight Elder Kimball and Benson spurred their horses androde to the ridge, and as they arrived there they discovered acamp of the Missourians about a quarter of a mile to the left ofthe road, and the six Indians were just entering the camp. Thebrethren were now satisfied that these Indians were Missouriansand had taken this plan to keep us back from this good campground. It is considered as an old Missouri trick and an insult tothe 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 Youngs intentions to press on a little faster and crowd them up a little . . .
I would here remark that it is the order of our traveling for each company of 10 to go forward in their turn. The first 10 in the first division taking the lead one day, then on the second day it falls in the rear of the first division and the second 10 takes the lead, and continues till each company of ten have taken the lead one day a piece. Then the first division falls in the rear of the second division which also begins by companies of ten to take the lead on the road as stated above and when each ten have had their day the second division again falls in the rear of the first which continues in the same order. Thus every man has his equal privilege of traveling one with another . . .
[George D. Smith, An Intimate Chronicle; The Journals of William Clayton, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1995, http://amzn.to/william-clayton]
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