22 THE SEA. 



Rocky Mountains has palpable and painful drawbacks. Having taken a few days' holiday, 

 he went forth, fishing-rod in hand, to amuse himself. While whipping- the stream in the 

 innocence of his heart, he was startled to find himself made the target for arrows shot 

 by wild Indians. He sought safety in night, and recovered from his wounds, to the 

 surprise as much as to the gratification of his friends. His story did not render me 

 desirous of sharing his fate.'" 



The Great Plains, over which the "prairie schooners"* toil, and the trains now fly, 

 have a dreary interest of their own. In summer they are hot and dusty, and the con- 

 templation of nearly unlimited sage-brush, and the occasional prairie dog or hen, is not 

 enlivening ; while the constant recurrence of skeletons bleaching in the sun skeletons of 

 overworked mules, horses, and oxen, and sometimes of the human animal is apt to make 

 one melancholy. But on a winter moonlight evening, when covered with snow, which has 

 thawed in the day, and become glace at night, they resemble one vast glittering lake, 

 with the brush-covered hillocks standing for islands. The buffaloes, once so common, are 

 rarely or never seen near the railway. In that more fertile portion of the plains nearer 

 the Missouri, in Nebraska and adjoining states, it is also possible that the oft-times grand 

 sight of the prairie on fire may be witnessed from the train. The writer was, one 

 evening in May, 1868, in company with others, in a Pullman car, when huge massive 

 clouds of smoke hanging over the horizon appeared in view. Soon it became evident, 

 as the train approached the spot, that the prairie was on fire for miles, although 

 fortunately at some distance from the line. The flames rose fiercely to the peaceful, 

 starlit sky; the homesteads of settlers, trees, and hillocks stood out black against the 

 line of destroying fire - } while over all a canopy of smoke hung heavily, affording a scene 

 not soon to be forgotten. 



Westward from the high point where Sherman stands, the railway line makes a rapid 

 descent to the Laramie Plains, the trains going down, not merely by their own weight, 

 but with brakes tightly screwed down. At Dale Creek, on this section of the line, 

 a wonderful bridge is crossed. It is G50 feet long, and in the centre of the deep ravine 

 it bridges is 126 feet high. It is built entirely of wood, was erected in thirty days, and 

 is a perfect puzzle of trestle-w r ork. " More than one passenger/' says Mr. Kae, " who 

 would rather lose a fine sight than risk a broken neck, breathes more freely, and gives 

 audible expression to his satisfaction, when once the cars have passed in safety over this 

 remarkable wooden structure." Now the train is again proceeding rapidly ; in twenty miles, 

 the descent of ],000 feet is accomplished. Next, Laramie City is reached, round which is 

 a good grazing country. This is succeeded by the plains known as "The Great American 

 Desert," another barren sage-brush-covered stretch of country. And yet in addition to- 

 the fact that even sage-brush is good for something, a decoction of it being recommended 

 in cases of ague the desert has been proved to contain its treasures. At Carbon, and 

 other stations on the line, fine deposits of coal have been found, and are worked to 

 advantage. It was at first feared that all the coal for the railway would have to be 

 transported from far distant points. 



* Vide page 18. 



