VALLEYS, PLAINS, AND LOWLANDS 
241 
rounded by heavy timber. The open coun- 
try, where the sun shines through the shade, 
where the soil is free from rock and the 
tree from moss, is the better abiding-place. 
In such a country man moves hither and 
thither with greater ease, the climatic condi- 
tions are more endurable, the earth is more 
arable, the rainfall more equable. 
As we descend from the mountains this open 
country first appears in the table-lands or up- 
land plateaus. They are usually high above 
sea-level, sometimes several thousand feet ; and 
in appearance they have something of the 
rugged-broken surface characteristic of moun- 
tains, mingled with features peculiar to the 
prairies. These table-lands are often open, tree- 
less regions, and are generally arid. The atmos- 
phere above them is dry, and so clear that 
objects appear nearer than they really are— 
outlines of mountains, for instance, showing 
very distinct, though many miles away. On al- 
most all the high plateaus distances are decep- 
tive, lights are brilliant, and the blue sky above 
glows with a wonderful intensity, and not infre- 
quently with a violet tinge about it. 
The Montana table-lands are perhaps excep- 
tional. They are full of abrupt breaks, with 
The valley 
home. 
The 
table-lands, 
