37 2 The National Geographic Magazine 









/'SB*i» 



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Missouri River Plains and Pack Train 



' The mountains are slowly left behind us . . . and our eyes, so accustomed to crags and. 

 peaks, look upon an apparently boundless prairie, blazing hot, dusty, and shadowless " 



where our eyes, so accustomed to the 

 crags and peaks and such limited hori- 

 zons, look upon an apparently boundless 

 prairie — blazing hot, dusty, and shadow- 

 less ; but with letters and news of the 

 world's doings at the post-office. 



The fascination which is born of ex- 

 ploration and travel in a great moun- 

 tain region never quite leaves one, and 

 the northern Rockies are a field worthy 

 of any man's stud}'. The diversit\' of 



the demands upon him, the inspiring 

 scale upon which his surroundings are 

 builded, make human accomplishment 

 seem, in a measure, vain ; but there are- 

 obstacles to be overcome, requiring all 

 his attention and effort ; streams to 

 be forded, glaciers to pass, cliffs to be 

 scaled, and mighty walls, measured by 

 thousands of feet, tempting him to> 

 greater efforts, fitting monuments if he 

 fails. 



