EXPLORING OUR SURROUNDINGS. 233 



our pride, if not to our feelings, to reflect that per- 

 haps some of our soreness was the result of their first 

 day's stiffness. 



A beaver colony near us, and a great abundance 

 of turkeys, offered lessons in natural history of no 

 small interest, and within reach of lame students. 

 The valley gave an entomological invitation to Mr. 

 Colon, and the great ledges, with their possibilities of 

 valuable fossils, attracted the Professor. 



Sitting on a wagon tongue, and applying liniment 

 to an abraded shin, might have been seen Pythagoras, 

 M. D., whose daily life, since leaving Topeka, had 

 been a series of struggles with the brute he rode. His 

 belief in the transition of souls into horses was grow- 

 ing upon him. He felt that he was combating the 

 spirit of a deceased prize-fighter, which used its hoofs 

 as fists, landing blows right and left. Doctor David 

 called these " spiritual manifestations." A favorite 

 habit of the animal was what is known as brushing 

 flies from the ear with the hind foot, and often, as the 

 owner was about to mount, this species of front kick 

 would upset him. The equine's disposition, it must 

 be said, had not been improved by the immense sad- 

 dle-bags with which the Doctor had surmounted him 

 when on the march. Originally, these contained a 

 small amount of medicine, but this had all been 

 ground to powder under the weight of sundry stones 

 and bones, gathered in the furtherance of the great 

 theory of development. 



As the sun got well up in the heavens, staying in 

 camp became monotonous, and we hobbled off in dif- 

 ferent directions, to examine the surroundings. Our 



