PRAIRIE DOGS. 107 



waited until we arrived within gun-shot, and then, 

 suddenly disappeared into the bowels of the earth. 

 We had no idea how they managed it, for it was like 

 Bertram's disappearance in the fifth act of " Robert 

 le Diable." One of our companions declared that 

 he saw a blue flame where each owl had disappeared ; 

 but this is not historical. 



The place where we encamped for the evening 

 was prettily adorned with tufts of trees of every 

 hind, pines, oaks, birches, cedars, wild cherry-trees, 

 mingled with the American eglantine and the haw- 

 thorn. Groups of nut-trees and sumacs completed 

 the rich variety. We had no difficulty in getting 

 our evening's fire. The air was coldish, and my 

 friends were lying, as usual, on beds of dried leaves, 

 heads and bodies well wrapped up in blankets, and 

 feet turned towards the fire. I had been away all 

 the evening, hoping to kill a deer. On regaining 

 the camj), I hastened to get together the leaves 

 which were to serve me for a bed. 



At the foot of an old oak, in the hollow of a rock, 

 the wind had heaped up an immense quantity of 

 leaves, and nothing was easier than to collect all 

 this into my blanket and bring it to the fire, by 

 the side of which I began to prepare my bed. 

 Suddenly a strange noise was audible among the 

 leaves. I examined them with care, and recoiled 

 with horror on perceiving I had gathered up with 

 them a rattle-snake, which with body curled up 



