Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-03-02

| sand hills stretched away ONO huhutVu
and twenty miles % tho SOUTH don't
know how far to the nOrth-it was not
above two miles TO the line between Me-
braska and Dakota, and beyond that
was the great Sioux Indian Reserya-
ton, reaching away to the north almost
three hundred miles. IL made little
difference how far the sand extended,
this was equally wild and uninhablted
whether il was a desert on a fertile
plain. Ten miles to the south was the
Niobrara rivera small stream roll
ing along through the sand between
low bluffs, and constantly growing
smaller instead Of larger on its way to
the Missouri. Well up towards its
head, more than one hundred miles TO
the west it seems as large as at its
mouth. Between being swallowed up
by the thirsty sands and eyaporated by
the hot sun and scorchlng winds unfor-
tunate Niobrara struggles half Its
course.
The only variation TO this scene OF
hill and shadow was far TO the north
west so far that IL was scarcely noticed
at first Here in one place the hills
grew lower till gradually the shadows
melted together, and Il narrow, but wolf
defined valley could BE- traced, at the
bottom Of which, cleaning Ia the sun,
lay little silver laks u glimmering
mirror among the sand dunes. II was
whore the wind during some dry season
had whirled the sand away and scoopsd
down lower than usual bstOw ths
waterliuc and afterwards the water
had run in and formed tbs little pond.
It was a we'll dug By the wind.
With a field glass | could sc5 that
around this miniature lake there was
quite an oasis the grass grow rank
and tall and held back tho sand FROM
drifting over il and again claiming its
owu There arc several other slmjlar
lakes near this one, not visible from
whore | was they arr thp rrpu-
ted healwaters Of tho keya-pAha
river, though they only cpnaacE with
this stream In ths spring whom this
snow mcits aud enough Of the water
escapes the sands to low along a mar.
row valley. There nrp tew urh val.
leys scattered at long Intervals all
through the sand hills slender oa4as
affordlng Just enough grr.s, Tor occa.
siOaal bands " nntelOpas
The hills we're all more or less hol.
lowed oat on their northwest stdv,. az
Il the heaviest wind, c1us from that
direction even those which has, hes.
coms somewhat packed and pu which
weru a few scattering punches N gray.
dusty grass aud an occasional sharp nnI
prickly blyonct-plaut og small. s,rug.
Cling cactus these, even. wcrs half
blown away % The northwest,
These sands blow about ail winter
they arc too dry To freeze, II the snow
covers them II soon blows on. and with
Il the hill on which II lny. Along the
railroad a heavy wind will frequently
drlit the sand into the cut till II st1ps
the trains. | hayo myself sccn IL
inches Of sand on tho track in some
places. A heavy rain will partially
subdue the sand for a very short time
while II Is raining, perhaps. not much
longer.
l statd till the shadows began to run
together till the blots scattered over
the landscapes had gone. and In their
stead. dotted over the whole view. wsr,
shining points Of light floating In tho
dark shadow which lay everywhere be-
low-spots Of gold the tops 81 the hills
lust touched with the last light from
the setting sun. turned wust on m,
trail as It was becoming quite dark
and reached the camp at ton o'clock
after the moon had risen and was throw.
ing the shadows 20 the west. moro dnrk
strange and weird than thoae made
by the afternoon sun.