82 THE PLAINS. 



appearance of sheets or waves of water, and form in the 

 air thousands of mimic cascades of every conceivable 

 variety ; now falling in a smooth, unbroken, inclined 

 sheet, now flying into an infinity of jets, down or up, 

 or sideways, as if fretted by opposing rocks. 



Nothing can be more beautiful or more disagreeable 

 than these storms ; and when the deluge of rain is, as is 

 often the case, accompanied by huge rounded lumps and 

 shapeless chunks of ice, they become really very serious. 



Men can generally find means of protecting them- 

 selves, though I have seen them pretty badly beaten ; 

 but animals are sometimes severely injured, and always 

 rendered frantic, by the pounding. 



If the storm overtakes a party on the march, the 

 animals should be unhitched at once and taken to cover, 

 if any be near ; or, if there be none, most securely 

 fastened to the waggons. If in camp, every precaution 

 should be taken not only to secure but to protect them. 

 Every approaching storm should be regarded as a possible 

 waterspout, and full preparation made to meet it at its 

 worst. 



It has been my misfortune to encounter several of 

 these storms either on the march or in camp, but have 

 never had the means of measuring the rainfall. I have 

 been at military posts where the rainfall was measured. 

 One occurred at Fort Dodge, by no means as severe 

 as several I have encountered, in which two and a half 

 inches of rain fell in less than one hour. 



The effect of such a quantity of water poured out 

 upon the high plains and rushing into the ravines can 

 be more easily Imagined than described. Depressions 

 in the surface of the ground, scarcely noticeable in 

 dry weather, become in a few moments raging torrents ; 

 ravines, ordinarily dry, become impassable rivers ; and 

 valleys, even though one or more miles in width, 

 are flooded to the depth of many feet. It took the 

 railroad engineers some time to learn this phenomenon. 



