he whole air became filled with them, until they reached the
ground, where they clung to the blades of grass in countless multitudes.

During the remainder of the day the creatures continued coming on; and
when the party at length stopped at night, they had to clear away the
ground to form their camp.

The voracity of the insects was proved by the way they attacked and
destroyed several articles of clothing, which had carelessly been left
on the grass. The travellers found, indeed, that the only way to
protect their property was to pile it up in the carts out of reach. Dan
Maloney appeared with a melancholy countenance, exhibiting a leather bag
and a pair of woollen trousers, which he had thrown down outside the
tent, eaten through and through in all directions. At night the
insects, fortunately, did not move. Early in the morning they were
found busily feeding; but as soon as the sun had evaporated the dew,
they began taking short flights, and then cloud after cloud rose, and
pursued their way to the northward.

Burnett assured his companions that he had never seen so large a flight
before; and, as far as he could ascertain, many years had passed without
the country receiving a similar visitation.

Scarcely had the locusts disappeared, than what looked like a thick,
black fog-bank was seen rising from the direction whence they had come.
It approached nearer and nearer. Leblanc, riding forward, pointed it
out to Burnett.

"The prairie is on fire," he remarked.

"I know it is; I saw it from the first. But I don't think it will come
near us."

"I am not quite so sure of that. It comes on fast, and the grass here
is very long," said the guide.

"Then we'll make our way to yonder knoll, where it is shorter," said
Burnett, who was not to be put out by Indians, locusts, or prairie
fires.

The word was given to drag the carts towards the spot Burnett had
indicated.

"A fire on the prairie is a serious matter, is it not?" observed
Loraine, in a tone of inquiry.

"I do not much fear it, notwithstanding," answered Burnett. "We shall
have a storm before long, I suspect, and that will fight the flames."

"I should have thought that a storm would be more likely to fan them
into greater fury," remarked Loraine, who considered that Burnett was
not sufficiently alive to the dangers they might have to encounter from
the fire.

"Not if it rains as I expect it will," observed Burnett. "Look at that
cloud ahead.