On the second night, the four spare horses seemed to become disgusted with the whole enterprise, and turning their heads eastward started on a rapid gallop for the States.

Their loss was too serious to be borne, and a number of men were dispatched in pursuit.
The chase was a long one and the animals were not recovered for several hours.

One of the men lost his way and was forced to spend the night on the open prairie.

At midnight it began to rain, and then the exceedingly unpleasant discovery was made that the tents on which the explorers relied for protection and shelter were so thin that they were drenched as if the water came through a sieve.
The morning, however, brought clear weather and bright sunlight, and all were in high spirits.

The scenery for a time was of a pleasing and picturesque character, and they pushed contentedly forward, until they arrived at the ford of the Kansas, one hundred miles from the point where it emptied into the Missouri.
The stream was found so swollen from recent rains that it could not be forded.