the other all is green and smiling. These
fearful prairie fires, by which thousands of acres of grass and
numberless forests have been destroyed, are almost always caused by the
thoughtless Indians, either for the sake of turning the herds of
buffaloes towards the direction they desire them to take, or else for
signals made as a sign to distant allies. Sometimes travellers have
carelessly left a camp-fire still burning, when the wind has carried the
blazing embers to some portion of the surrounding dry herbage, and a
fearful conflagration has been the result.

Mr Paul Kane, the Canadian artist and traveller, mentions one which he
witnessed from Fort Edmonton. The wind was blowing a perfect hurricane
when the conflagration was seen sweeping over the prairie, across which
they had passed but a few hours before. The night was intensely dark,
adding effect to the brilliancy of the flames, and making the scene look
truly terrific. So fiercely did the flames rage, that at one time it
was feared the fire would cross the river to the side on which the fort
is situated, in which case it and all within must have been destroyed.
The inmates also had had many apprehensions for the safety of one of
their party, from whom, with his Indians, Mr Kane had parted some time
before, and who had not yet arrived. For three days they were uncertain
of his fate, when at length their anxiety was relieved by his
appearance. He had noticed the fire at a long distance, and had
immediately started for the nearest bend in the river. This, by great
exertion, he had reached in time to escape the flames, and had succeeded
in crossing.

THE BARREN PLAINS IN THE FAR WEST.

On the prairies of the east the eye ranges over a wide expanse of waving
grass, everywhere like the sea. As, crossing the plains, we proceed
west towards the vast range of the Rocky Mountains, the country gives
evidence of the violent and irregular disturbances to which it has been
subjected. Wild rocky ridges crop out from the sterile plains of sand;
and for hundreds of miles around the country is desert, dry, and barren.
Even the vegetation, such as it is, is of the same unattractive
character. The ground here and there is covered with patches of the
grey gramma grass, growing in little cork-screw curls; and there is a
small furzy plant, the under sides of the leaves of which are covered
with a white down, while occasionally small orange-coloured flowers are
seen strug