but should nature, in one of her freaks of earthquake, ever
cause a disruption to this intervening barrier on the southern shores of
the great northern lakes, the drying up of Niagara, the annihilation of
Canada, and the divers disasters to British power, will in all
probability be followed by the submersion of half of the Mississippi
states under the waters of these inland seas.

On the 26th June I quitted the shores of Lake Superior and made my way
back to Moose Lake. Without any exception, the road thither was the very
worst I had ever travelled over--four horses essayed to drag a stage-waggon
over, or rather, I should say, through, a track of mud and ruts
impossible to picture. The stage fare amounted to $6, or 4s. for 34
miles. An extra dollar reserved the box-seat and gave me the double
advantage of knowing what was coming in the rut line and taking another
lesson in the idiom of the American stage-driver. This idiom consists of
the smallest possible amount of dictionary words, a few Scriptural names
rather irreverently used, a very large intermixture of "git-ups" and
ejaculatory "his," and a general tendency to blasphemy all round. We
reached Tom's shanty at dusk. As before, it was crowded to excess, and
the memory of the express man's warning was still sufficiently strong to
make me prefer the forest to "bunking in" with the motley assemblage; a
couple of Eastern Americans shared with me the little camp. We made a
fire, laid some boards on the ground, spread a blanket upon them, pulled
the "mosquito bars" over our heads, and lay down to attempt to sleep. It
was a vain effort; mosquitoes came out in myriads, little atoms of gnats
penetrated through the netting of the "bars," and rendered rest or sleep
impossible. At last, when the gnats seemed disposed to retire, two
Germans came along, and, seeing our fire, commenced stumbling about our
boards. To be roused at two o'clock a.m., when one is just sinking into
obliviousness after four hours of useless struggle with unseen enemies,
is provoking enough, but to be roused under such circumstances by Germans
is simply unbearable.

At last daylight came. A bathe in the creek, despite the clouds of
mosquitoes, freshened one up a little and made Tom's terrible table see
less repulsive. Then came a long hot day in the dusty cars, until at
length St. Paul was reached.

I remained at St. Paul some twelve days, detained there from day to day
awaiting the arrival of letters