A SINGULAR SYXCHRONISM. 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 party ex- 

 pected to meet these geniuses on the threshold of 

 their domain, and, while Shanius 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. lie was mellow at this early 

 hour, and scattered down his light and warmth lib- 

 erally. AYherever 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, which 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 t^Vo; 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 



