FAREWELL TO THE PLAINS. 425 



few days longer upon the Solomon, for the purpose 

 of studying the surrounding country. Shamus had 

 asked a discharge, in order to engage as farm hand 

 for Mr. Sydney — an Irish Jacob taking to agriculture 

 as a means of obtaining his Rachel. We received 

 numerous invitations to divide our party for the 

 night among the settlers, and, glad to enjoy again 

 the luxury of a roof, Sachem and I gratefully ac- 

 cepted the hospitabilities of a neighboring log-cabin 

 among the trees. 



The next day was busily occupied in separating 

 from our loads such things as the Professor and Sha- 

 mus required for their further sojourn in the Solomon 

 valley. The morning following, we bade them both 

 good-bye, and have seen neither leader or servant 

 since. With but one mishap, the remainder of our 

 party reached safely the more familiar haunts of 

 civilization. Doctor Pythagoras was the victim of 

 our exceptional misfortune. While attempting to 

 mount his transformed prize-fighter, the meta- 

 morphosed bully struck out from the shoulder, and 

 the doctor was floored. We found it necessary to 

 carry him upon a rude stretcher to Solomon City, 

 and provide him with a section on a sleeping car for 

 transit to the East. As we shook his hand at part- 

 ,n g, and bade him a last good-bye. he exclaimed, 

 " My young friends, I can not die yet, I shall re- 

 cover and outlive you all. I believe in the theory of 

 the ' survival of the fittest.' " 



Ever since our return, the tide of emigration, pour- 

 ing onward from the Atlantic, has lapped further 

 and further out upon the surface of the plains ; and 



