Letter III,
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE CENTRAL COUNCILS OF LYONS AND PARIS.
UNIVERSITY, June 2,1849.
GENTLEMEN :
In my last letter I spoke of the annoyance resulting from the continual attacks and buzzing of the mosquitoes and brūlots. I must add to this harsh music the more fearful and more disagreeable noise of the rattlesnake. These reptiles are frequently met in the region styled Mauvaises-Terres, a very remarkable plateau, of which I will hereafter give a description-and where the Little Missouri, the Mankizita-Watpa, the Terre-blanche, and the Niobrarah take their rise. Here also are found the many-hued chameleon, the hideous lizard, the horned frog, known by the perhaps more classical name of salamander, and several varieties of small tortoise. I witnessed a singular trait of the instinct of a rattlesnake. The reptile was basking in the sun, surrounded by eight or ten little ones. As soon as she perceived me, she gave the rattle, opened her throat wide, and in an instant the whole brood descended. I withdrew some seconds, and then returned; the young ones had come forth from their living tomb, to which my presence quickly obliged them to seek refuge anew.
The unbroken, arid soil of the Mauvaises-Terres, which will, ever baffle the most energetic and persevering labor, boasts, however, of several millions of townships, full of life and movement - I mean the villages of the prairie-dog - the site of each one of which extends over an area of several square miles of smooth table-land, on which the grass is very short and thin. The instincts of this remarkable animal (which bears some resemblance to the squirrel) are at once curious and amusing. The grass which springs up in the neighborhood of their dwellings they tear up by the roots; but their vandalism has its exceptions. They seem to respect and spare certain flowers which generally surround their little abodes, and give them a much more agreeable look. These proved to be the Hedeoma hirta, the Solanom triflorum, the Lupinus pusillus, the Erigeron divaricatum, Dysodia chrysanthemoides, Ellisia nyctagenea, and the Panicum virgatum.
They pile up the earth around their dwellings about two feet above the surface of the soil, thus protecting themselves against the inundations which, in the rainy seasons or at the melting of the snows, would engulf them and their little hopes. Guided by instinctive foresight, they carefully gather all the straws which are scattered over the plain, and carry them into their subterraneous asylums, to protect them against the rigors of winter. At the approach of a horseman, alarm is rapidly communicated to all the citizens of this singular republic. All quit their habitations, and with head erect, the ears pricked up with anxiety, and' a troubled stare, remain standing at the entrance of their abodes, or at the opening of their conical hills. After a momentary silence, they break forth into one loud and repeated chorus of shrill barking. For some minutes life, motion, and restless agitation reign throughout the extensive field they occupy; but at the first gun-shot, all is tranquil, every animal disappearing like a flash. A kind of small owl, and the rattlesnake, appear to entertain amicable relations with the prairie-dog, and are commonly found at the entrance of their lodges, and in the general fright, the three seek safety in the same asylum. The motives and nature of this singular sympathy are unknown. The wolf and the fox are their greatest enemies.
The Indian word Mankizita-Watpa, commonly translated White Earth River, signifies, more literally, Smoking Land River; and in this region there are incontestable and numerous indications that subterranean and volcanic fires have passed there. The water of the river is strongly impregnated with a whitish slime. We encamped on its shore. A heavy rain had recently washed all the ravines and dry beds of the rivulets and torrents, which are abundant throughout the Mauvaises-Terres, consequently the water was very similar to thin mud. What was to be done? We must either use this water to prepare our evening repast, or retire without tea or broth. This is no easy sacrifice in the desert, after riding on horseback for ten or eleven hours in the scorching sun. After many fruitless efforts to purify the water, we were obliged to use it as it was. Hunger and thirst make us less dainty. The mixture of mud, tea, and sugar, was, after all, palatable to our famished stomachs. On the morrow we travelled all day, and found a delicious spring, where we camped all night.
The Mauvaises-Terres, in the portions which are traversed by the Mankizita-Watpa, are the most extraordinary of any I have met in my journeys through the wilderness. The `action of the rains, snow, and winds upon the argillaceous soil is scarcely credible; and the combined influence of these elements renders it the theatre of most singular scenery. Viewed at a distance, these lands exhibit the appearance of extensive villages and ancient castles, but under forms so extraordinary, and so capricious a style of architecture, that we might consider them as appertaining to some new world, or ages far remote. Here a majestic Gothic tower, surrounded with turrets, rises in noble grandeur, and there enormous and lofty columns seem reared to support the vault of heaven., Further on you may descry a fort beaten by the tempest, and surrounded by mantellated walls ; its hoary parapets appear to have endured, during many successive ages, the assaults of tempest; earthquake, and thunder. Cupolas of colossal proportions, and pyramids which recall the gigantic labors of ancient Egypt, rise around. The atmospherical agents work upon them with such effect, that probably two consecutive years do not pass without reforming or destroying these strange constructions. This clayey soil hardens easily in the sun, is of a grayish hue, or occasionally of a sparkling white ; it is easily softened when mixed with water. The Mankizita--Watpa is the great drain of the streams of this country, and corresponds admirably to.the name bestowed upon it by the Indians.
The industry of the settler will never succeed in cultivating and planting this fluctuating and sterile soil -no harvest ever crown his efforts. But though it offers no interest to the farmer, and little to, the botanist, the geologist and naturalist may find abundant material for study and 'illustration ; for here are found curious remains of the mastodon , (the largest of known quadrupeds), mingled with those of the mountain-hare. I have seen well-preserved skulls, horns, &c., so large that two men could hardly raise them. All of these bore the distinct impress of their primitive nature.
I have the honor to be, with profound respect,
Gentlemen,
Your most humble and obed't serv't,
P. J. De Smet, S. J.