FIRE IN THE PRAIRIES. 



259 



were observed in great numbers on the north flanks of 

 the ancient lake ridges. On this desolate prairie we met 

 a caravan of nine Eed Eiver carts containing merchandise, 

 which the owners had purchased at St. Paul ; they had 

 been twenty-one days coming a distance of 320 miles. 

 In the afternoon we arrived at a part of the prairie where 

 the fire had run ; as far as the eye could see westward 

 the country looked brown, or black, and desolate. The 

 strong north-westerly wind which had been blowing dur- 

 ing the day drove the smoke from the burning prairies 

 beyond Eed Eiver, in the form of a massive wall towards 

 us ; a sight more marvellously grand, and at the same 

 time gloomy and imposing, could scarcely be conceived 

 than that approaching wall of smoke over the burnt ex- 

 panse of prairie stretching far away to the west. The 

 upper edge was fringed with rose-colour by the rays of 

 the sun it had just obscured ; and as it swept slowly on, 

 the rich rose-tints faded into a burnt sienna hue, which 

 gradually died away as the obscuration became more 

 complete, until, though early in the afternoon, with a 

 bright cloudless sky towards the east, a twilight gloom 

 began to settle around us, and the rolling folds of 

 smoke sweeping over the prairie, rapidly enveloped all 

 things in a thin but impenetrable haze. When the sun was 

 still some degrees above the horizon the light was that of 

 dim twilight ; the prairie hens flew wildly across the trail, 

 and without, as is usual with them, any determined and 

 uniform direction ; our horses appeared to be uneasy or 

 alarmed, and the whole scene began to wear an aspect of 

 singular solemnity and gloom. Night came on suddenly, 

 and with a darkness which might be "felt," as we 

 reached the valley of Sand Hill Eiver ; here, trusting 

 to the sagacity of our horses, we let them find their 



