TRAVERSING A PRAIRIE. 69 
CHAPTER VI. 
O* his return from the Mississippi, Audubon 
found himself obliged to traverse one of 
those vast prairies which form a striking charac 
teristic of his country. His dog, his knapsack 
and his gun were his sole provision and com- 
pany. Guided by the track of the “iidian 
throughout the day, he wandered, gazing only 
on the monotony of the vast expanse, unvaried 
by one glimpse of human shape or habitation, 
till at length the sun disappeared beneath the 
horizon. 
Then the roar of wild animals in the distance, 
the flapping of the night birds in their flight, 
and the buzzing of insects, were the only sounds 
which greeted his ears. As darkness gradually 
enshrouded the whole extent of the prairie, his 
desire increased to reach some hut or woodland, 
in which to shelter for the night. Suddenly a 
fire-light in the distance caught his sight, suffi- 
ciently near for him to perceive, from its glare, 
that it proceeded from the hearth of a small log 
cabin. Before it a tall figure constantly flitted, 
