PREPAEATIONS. 2 1 



on each side of the line for some distance, lay pile after pile 

 of the munitions, not of war but of peace — ^ii-on rails, oaken 

 ties, cradles and pins, contractors' cars, little houses on 

 wheels, trucks innumerable, both empty and full ; while at 

 the opposite side to the town, our pictui-esquc little camp of 

 twenty wall tents, formed in a square, and flanked by our 

 wagons and ambulances, lay peaceful and cool on the short 

 green sward. 



Our chief, General W. W. "Wright, who had aheady gained 

 for himself lasting laurels by the manner in which he had 

 lijjj^j conducted the raili'oad operations of Sherman's march through 

 ^ Georgia, made Salina the rendezvous for all our parties. Here 

 * 10 many of us met for the fii'st time, and the fortnight's sojourn, 

 P^ spent in completing our organisation and waiting for the 

 .^_^ weather, passed pleasantly by. Settlers rode into camp from 

 ,'ij. far and near, one with a lump of gypsum, another with a piece 

 of coal, a third with a curious fossil, and a fourth with a block 

 fo^ of building-stone — all anxious to know what our geologist. 



Dr. John Le Conte, thought of their specimens ; ready to tell 

 all they knew of the country (especially of the advantages of 

 their own locality), and eager to hear about the intended 



tie 



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fft'= 



gi survey. Then our botanist, Dr. Parry, commenced his 



rambles amongst the prairie flowers, and yeij beautiful 





ir 



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■^-.' 



were these heralds of spring, all quite new to us, though 

 well known to that experienced western traveller. Dr. 

 Lewis, who had no sick to cure in this fine air, would bring 

 in each night some new and curious insect, some wondrous 



f coleopter, to add to his collection. The surveying instru- 

 ments were unpacked, and Messrs. Eicholtz, Eunk, and 

 Imbrey Miller might be seen, each coaching his party, 



^1 trying his transits and levels, running a line here, and a 



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line there, and getting everything into working order. 



