126 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[April, 



cided to camp for the night, and the wagon being 

 drawn to a little eminence that commanded a view 

 of the whole opening, the horses were unhitched, 

 and that hurry and bustle so dependent upon 

 camp life suddenly commenced. One devoted his 

 attention to the team, which being unharnessed, 

 was hobbled and turned up the mountain side. 

 Another busied himself in preparation for supper, 

 being voted the best cook in our company. One 

 gathered and broke sticks wherewith to build a 

 fire. Another penetrated to a cold spring near by 

 and became 'water carrier.' 



" Have you ever noticed how sudden the change 

 is from daylight to dark, among the mountains? 

 We had scarcely thrown ourselves upon the buf- 

 falo robes before our camp fire, when the sunlight 

 faded from the mountain tops, and a heavy gloom 

 spread over the little valley. A cold wind imme- 

 diately swept through the canyon, which soon gave 

 place to mellower breezes from the pines. We 

 sat silent for some time, watching the changes 

 from gloaming to night. In a few minutes here 

 and there a star appeared, trembling above the 

 mountain, and in less time than one could note it, 

 the whole heavens were 



' Be!<pangled with those isles of light, 

 So wildly, spiritually bright.' 



"The moon had not yet risen, but in the east a 

 paling had begun, giving to that portion of the 

 sky a melancholy ethereal aspect. Behind us were 

 the mountains, grim and frowning ; on our right, 

 the river, with its dark underbrush, and an occa- 

 sional pine hanging upon its brink ; in front lay 

 the little valley, stretching darkly away into the 

 gloom where to-morrow's journey lay. Scarcely 

 a sound broke the monotony of this scene. Occa- 

 sionally a night bird whirred overhead with a 

 strange, rushing noise that made the silence deepen 

 more intensely afterward. The roaring of the 

 river came up dull, and as though far off, making 

 a ground upon which more dissimilar noises could 

 be distinctly heard. But over all there was a spirit 

 of solitude — of intense solemnity — that produced 

 a sensation of humility and veneration approach- 

 ing fear. 



" After supper, our beds were spread between 

 two clumps of shrubbery, around which the wheat 

 grass grew tall and luxuriant. It was not without 

 some misgivings as to the near proximity of reptiles 

 that I threw myself weariedly upon the dusty 

 quilts ; in fact, before doing so, I had beat the 

 bushes and grass in our vicinity for the purpose of 

 driving them out, if any were near. 



"Awaking in the night, without having the 



power to utter a word or make a movement, I now 

 became conscious that I was lying in bed, and that 

 something was pressing upon and moving about 

 me. It touched my feet, my legs and body, much 

 as we see a dog touch and smell anything it has 

 found, but with a far more horrifying effect. Pos- 

 sessing no power of volition, I felt its clammy 

 flesh upon my body, and shivered — a deathly, 

 fearful shiver — that chilled me to the heart. I re- 

 alized that a snake was in my bed — that it was 

 gliding slowly but surely over my breast, and 

 would soon be upon my face; yet, though I tried 

 to struggle — to scream out, my efforts were pow- 

 erless. At last, when it seemed that the serpent's 

 breath was upon my neck, and its forked tongue 

 about to dart upon me, I gave a loud shriek, and 

 bounded madly to my feet. For an instant my 

 whole desire was to fly as far as possible from the 

 detestable spot ; but my companions, half terri- 

 fied, were now around me, and realizing at once 

 the cause of my fright, caught and restrained me. 



"The moon had risen, and by its pale light, two 

 or three dark objects were seen gliding from the 



place where I had so lately lain. F , one of 



the best marksmen with a pistol in the Territory, 

 shot two of them as they were passing from the 

 quilts into the grass. Upon examination, they 

 proved to be rattlesnakes, each with eight or ten 

 rattles. At sight of them I could not sufficiently 

 express my gratitude for so wonderful a deliver- 

 ance." 



Veitch's Manual of Conifer^e. — A distin- 

 guished author, writing to us about this work, pro- 

 nounces it the best monograph of coniferae with 

 which he is acquainted. We are glad to know 

 hat this excellent treatise on the pine family is 

 soon to be placed in the American book trade, 

 where it may be readily obtainable by book buyers. 



Arthur Bryant . — Horticulture — especially 

 Western horticulture — mourns the loss of this dis- 

 tinguished pioneer, although he had passed the al- 

 lotted term of human life. His death occurred at 

 his home at Princeton, Illinois, on the 6th of Feb- 

 ruary. When he first settled there the country 

 was a bleak wilderness, and there were scientific 

 men not a few who, finding no trees on the prai- 

 ries, gave abundant reasons why it was impossible 

 that arborescent vegetation should ever grow 

 there. It was for men like Bryant to show the 

 possibilities of the impossible, and to-day, by his 

 courage and labors, and those of his contempo- 

 raries, we have forgotten the prophecies which 

 made experiment foolishness. He issued a work 



