Crossing the Great Plains 43 



River upon a splendid bridge was a never- 

 to-be-forgotten event to the boys, and when 

 a section of the bridge was swung round to 

 let a steamboat pass through, their astonish- 

 ment knew no bounds. 



Finally the towns and cities of the Mis- 

 sissippi valley were gradually left behind 

 and the slow-moving canvas-covered wagon, 

 going at the snail's pace set by old Brindle, 

 got out of civilization into the Bad Lands 

 of Northern Missouri. 



Here there was an unending variety of 

 scenery, and every day brought some new 

 animal or remarkable feature of the land- 

 scape to Bennie's observing eyes. 



Among his most cherished possessions 

 was a very good field-glass, which had been 

 the property of an uncle who had used it in 

 the Civil War. This glass proved to be the 

 boy's best ally upon the great plains, where 

 the stretches of smooth land are so vast, and 

 the distances so great, that the naked eye is 



