266 BESIDE THE GEEAT SALT LAKE. 



he was merely cautious. Every time that the 

 little sitter went off for food she met him some- 

 where, and he came back with her. Occasion- 

 ally he took a peep at the treasures himself, but 

 he never entered by her roundabout way. He 

 always flew directly in from above. 



Ten days passed away in this quiet manner, 

 my attention divided between the birds, the 

 dragonflies, and the clacking grasshopper, who 

 went jerking himself about with a noise like a 

 subdued lawn-mower, giving one the impression 

 that his machinery was out of order. 



The tenth day of sitting we had a south wind. 

 That does not seem very terrible, but a south 

 wind on the shore of the Great Salt Lake is 

 something to be dreaded. 



u A wind that is dizzy with whirling 1 play, 

 A dozen winds that have lost their way." 



It starts up suddenly, and comes with such force 

 as to snap off the leaves of trees, and even the 

 tender twigs of shrubs. As it waxes powerful 

 it bends great trees, and tries the strength of 

 roofs and chimneys. From the fir^t breath it 

 rolls up tremendous clouds of dust, that come 

 and come, and never cease, long after it seems 

 as if every particle in that rainless land must 

 have been driven by. It is in the " Great 

 Basin," and the south wind is the broom that 

 sweeps it clean. Not only dust does the south 



