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Show SWINGING ' ROUND THE CIRCLE. 377 in such cases. He was sentenced to a fe\ v years imprisonment; but his delicate constitution could not survive the beating and the sen-tence, and consumption soon took him beyond the reach of earthly courts. I shall ever maintain that he was the real victim of the tragedy, and should never have been imprisoned. Our party had various opinions as to the best way to see the country on the North Pacific line. The first plan was to take a team and go up the eastern side of the Territory, by way of the beautiful valley of James River, then over the divide and northward down Red River. The distance was three hundred miles; there were long stretches of country without a settlement, and the season was get-ting late. So this was in due time reconsidered. The next was to go up the Missouri to the proposed crossing, and stage it across to the end of the road. But soon came a steam- boat down the river with word that navigation was closed for this year, though it was still early in September ; then we decided to return to Sioux City, and go through Minnesota. A man can't travel as he pleases in the new North- west. We had enough of staging, and concluded to try it by steamer down to Sioux City. The distance by land is sixty- five miles; by river a hundred and fifty. The time is just as it happens. You must start when the boat is ready, and take your chances on board, sometimes getting through in ten hours, sometimes in thirty. We made splendid time all forenoon, the low clay banks receding so rap-idly that their natural ugliness was changed to a swiftly gliding view of something nearly like beauty. The water is a little thicker than cream, but not quite as thick as plaster, and of a dirty yellow color, its solid contents consisting of nearly equal parts of fine clay and silt; but when taken aboard and settled, it is very palatable. Immedi-ately on the river, the timber is small and scrubby, but a mile or so back are fine forests of good- sized trees, for a mile or two, and behind them the richest prairie " bottom " in the world, varying in width KILLING OF SECRETARY M'COOK. |