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Show VALLEY OF THE PLATTE. 29 mules, meanwhile, filled to repletion with the rich grass of the r prairie, lay stretched and rolling upon the grass in lazy enjoyment, exempt for one happy day from the harness and the whip. After travelling up the Bine for about twelve miles, we left it and crossed the ridge dividing its waters from those of the Nebraska or Platte River. The character of this ridge is that of an extensive level plateau, or table, with slight undulations: the soil is composed of sand and clay, having occasionally water standing on it in pools, which, however, are dry most of the summer. On arriving at the western edge of due plateau, the country became more elevated, and presented a range of small hills of a sandy reddish clay, with a sharp outline toward the river, forming the « coast of the Nebraska," and also constituting the bluff bounding tiie river valley on the south. From this elevated position the valley presented a lovely appearance. The bottom was as level as a floor, covered with short fresh grass of the richest green, without a shrub or bush to interrupt the view. Beyond this verdant carpet of two miles jax breadth, flowed the river of which- we had heard so much, while a dense growth of large timber, covering Grand Island, which lay immediately before us, formed a fit framework for this lovely picture of calm and quiet beauty. Archambault, our guide, told me that the last time he had passed this spot, the whole of the immense plain, as far as the eye could reach, was black with herds of buffalo. Now, not so much as one is to be seen; they have fled before the advancing tide of emigration. Driven from their ancient and long- loved haunts, these aboriginal herds, confined within still narrowing bounds, seem destined to final extirpation at the hand of man. The prairie bottom of the Platte is here elevated but a very few feet above the river in its present stage, which, however, is higher than usual. The appearance of the water is precisely that of the Mississippi and Missouri, of a muddy white, and its current is, like theirs, constantly boiling and eddying in restless turbulence. It is quite shallow, as its name, both in Indian and French, indicates, so that I found no difficulty in riding my mule over to the island, at the head of which we encamped for the night, after a march of thirty-two miles. In the course of the morning wp passed the remains of a Pawnee village, recently abandoned. The band to which it belonged was probably the same before mentioned as having been driven off by the troops from Port Kearny. Near it, several large mushrooms, |