SOLON ROBINSON, 1841 163 



came manifest that he drove a team without a wagon. 

 Where was that? was the first question. "Fast in the 

 river, a few miles back on the prairie." "Do you know 

 we have nothing in the house for your supper?" "I 

 expected so, and so I brought along a bagful; here is 

 both flour and meat." 



Reader, can you imagine yourself for one moment in 

 my situation? Can you realize that the happiness of that 

 moment was sufficient to pay for many weary, watchful 

 days of anxiety? No, you cannot realize that, until ex- 

 perience teaches you. Happiness is only realized by 

 contrast with misery. And it is because the emigrant's 

 life is full of such exciting scenes, and because the days 

 of pleasure are long remembered, when those of pain 

 are buried in oblivion, that induces thousands annually 

 to add themselves to that irresistible wave of western 

 emigration, that is rolling onward to the Pacific Ocean. 



The happiness of the teamster too, was such as he will 

 never forget. For he had endured a night of actual peril. 

 When the ice gave way under the wagon, it became neces- 

 sary for him to plunge into the water to extricate the 

 team, and when he reached the lone log cabin, his outer 

 garments were frozen stiff, and in a short time he 

 would have become an immoveable mass of ice, and per- 

 haps have sunk to his final rest upon the bleak prairie. 



Those who have seen a real log cabin fire of hickory 

 logs, may picture to themselves a scene in the first cabin 

 of the first settler, in the first winter on the prairie ; and 

 those who have never seen such a scene of real com- 

 fort, must imagine as best they can, a picture of such a 

 scene as was realized in that cabin on the night of the 

 return from "the first trip to mill." 



Such scenes of excitement, of pain and pleasure, often 

 occur to the western emigrant. I have in memory's store 

 many that may or may not yet be told ; but for the pres- 

 ent, I will leave those who have perused this, with the 

 sincere wish that they may ever enjoy their fast fleeting 

 moments of life in a splendid mansion, with as great a 



