128 TEN DAYS IN MONTANA. 



Near Crystal Springs, a station one hundred and thirty 

 miles west of Fargo, we saw the first alkali beds one meets 

 with on the line of this road. There are three of them, cov- 

 ering in the aggregate probably five hundred acres. In the 

 wet season these are lakes of water, but as the dry, hot season 

 progresses, the water all evaporates, leaving a deposit of pure 

 alkali. Within eighty rods of one of these beds is a lake of 

 pure fresh water in which there is no particle of alkali. 



After leaving Jamestown the train men told us we were 

 likely to see antelope at any time, that they were frequently 

 seen within a few hundred yards of the track. I strained my 

 eyes all day long looking for them, but did not catch sight of 

 one. Toward night a man in the seat just in front of me looked 

 out of his window and shouted "Antelope." I ventured to 

 ask him why did his aunt elope? Were the old folks opposed 

 to the match, or did the young couple simply get up this kind 

 of a scheme on account of the romance of it ? He looked at 

 me a minute or two and then shook his head and sighed, as 

 if to say, "Poor fellow, I'm sorry for you." Soon after this 

 a crow flew along opposite the train for a mile or two, keep- 

 ing just even with the car we were in. My neighbor in front 

 turned around and asked me if I knew how far a crow could 

 fly without stopping to rest. I said no, I was not well up in 

 ow-nology, and was always getting my dates mixed up. 

 He looked at me again intently for a few minutes and then 

 went forward and told the conductor there was an escaped 

 lunatic in the rear coach, and he ought to be taken into the 

 baggage car and taken care of. 



There were four Pawnee Indians on the train from St. 

 Paul to B : smarck. They were en route to their home, or 

 camp, Thich is with the Rees, near Fort Berthold. They told 

 us that & JQOving band of Chippewas had invaded the Rees 

 a few days ago, arad ^Loleii several ponies. A 



