A SINGULAR SYNCHRONISM. 119 



American Desert," followed with tearful eyes the 

 course of the emigrant trains, and tried to fix the 

 spot where the dear bones of her first-born lay 

 bleaching. 



As a people, we are better acquainted with the 

 wastes of Egypt than with some parts of our own land. 

 The plains have been considered the abode of hun- 

 ger, thirst, and violence, and most of our j)arty ex- 

 pected to meet these geniuses on the threshold of 

 their domain, and, while Shamus should fight the 

 first two with his skillet and camp-kettles to war 

 against the third with rifle and hunting-knife. 



But in the scene around us there was nothing ter- 

 rifying in the least degree. The sun had risen with 

 a clear highway before him, and no clouds to entan- 

 gle his chariot wheels. He was mellow at this early 

 hour, and scattered down his light and warmth lib- 

 erally. Wherever the soil was turned up by the 

 track, we discovered it to be strong and deep, and 

 capable of producing abundant crops of resin weeds 

 and sunflowers, w^hich with farmers is a written cer- 

 tificate, in the "language of flowers," of good char- 

 acter. 



We thundered through many thriving cities of 

 prairie dogs, the inhabitants of which seemed all out 

 of doors, and engaged in tail-bearing from house to 

 house. The principal occupations of this animal ap- 

 pears to be two ; first, barking like a squirrel, and 

 second, jerking the caudal appendage, which opera- 

 tions synchronize with remarkable exactitude. One 

 single cord seems to operate both extremities of the 

 little body at once. It could no more open its mouth 



