east, as far as we could see, was a level plain; and the
horizon, of course, resembled that of the ocean when calm. As the great
yellow globe of the sun appeared above it, one could have fancied that
he was rising out of the earth itself--although he was more than ninety
millions of miles distant from any part of it. It was a beautiful sky
into which the sun was slowly climbing up. It was of a pale blue
colour, and without the smallest cloud--for on these high table-plains
in the interior of America, you may often travel for days without seeing
a cloud as big as a kite. We were all in better spirits, for we had
rested well, and had no longer any fear of being followed by the savages
who had massacred our companions. They would have been fools, indeed,
to have made that dreadful journey for all they could have gotten from
us. Moreover, the sight of our antelope, with its nice yellow fat,
crisped by the cold night-air, was anything but disheartening. As Cudjo
was a dexterous butcher, I allowed him to quarter it, while I shouldered
the axe and marched off to the mountain-foot to procure more wood for
the fire. Mary was busy among her pots, pans, and platters, scouring
and washing them all in the clear stream--for the dust of the barren
plains had blown into the wagon as we marched, and had formed a thick
coating over the vessels. Fortunately we had a good stock of these
utensils--consisting of a gridiron, a large camp-kettle, a couple of
mess-pans, a baking-dish, a first-rate coffee-pot and mill, half-a-dozen
tin-cups and plates, with an assortment of knives, forks, and spoons.
All these things we had laid in at Saint Louis, by the advice of our
Scotch friend, who know very well what articles were required for a
journey across the Desert.

"I was not long in getting the wood, and our fire was soon replenished
and blazing brightly. Mary attended to the coffee, which she parched in
one of the mess-pans, and then ground in the mill. I handled the
gridiron and broiled the venison-steaks, while Cudjo collected a large
supply of locust-beans, and roasted them. These last were to serve us
for bread, as we had neither meal nor flour. The supply we had brought
from Saint Louis had been exhausted several days before; and we had
lived altogether upon dried beef and coffee. Of this last article we
were very sparing, as we had not over a pound of it left, and it was our
most precious luxury. We had no sugar whatever, nor