ildren, whatever found
without an owner in these wilds, falls to the finder by right," said
the Trapper.

"I think the children are right," said Mrs. Duncan, who had come hither
at the sound of their mirth.

"Suppose the owner is dead and never comes for it," said Howe.

"It in no wise alters the case. It is better that it never finds an
owner than possess ourselves of what has purposely been hid from us."

"Such notions are right and proper for a settlement, but for a place
like this, it is carrying it to too nice a point."

"The rights of others should be as sacred to us in one place as
another," replied Mrs. Duncan.

"Suppose somebody had trapped beaver and foxes in some particular
locality, would that make the animals that were uncaught in that
locality his own?"

"Certainly not. The case is different; as the beaver uncaught never
were his, he had no claim on them. But if he caught a hundred beaver
and cured the skins, and secreted them in some place until he chose to
sell them, it would be decidedly dishonest for any one to take them
away as their own, because they had found the place in which they were
hidden."

"I believe you are right, Mary. Joshua shall be reinterred," said Howe,
rolling the barrel in its old bed, and proceeding to cover it.

"Mother is always right," cried the children, as they wended their way
back to camp.

Early the next morning, as they were moving over the prairie, a
beautiful vision burst on their sight. It was a mirage of the prairie.
As the sun rose in all the splendor of an unclouded sky in the east,
the objects in the west became suddenly elongated vertically, the long
rank grass stretching to an amazing altitude, while its various hues of
green were reflected with vivid accuracy. As the emigrants approached
the optical illusion, it gradually contracted laterally above and below
towards the centre, at the same time rapidly receded towards the
horizon, until it assumed its original aspect. As the sun approached
the meridian, the atmosphere become so intensely warm that Mr. Duncan
thought it prudent to rest until it began to descend, to which they all
joyfully assented, as their oxen appeared to be almost overcome with
the heat. They had been a day and a half on the prairie, and as the
water they brought with them would not last them longer than the next
morning, they were anxious to make the distance to the hills, which
were looming faintly before them in the west, where