omena of that
character. We spent two nights and a day at Fort Snelling. Some of
the officers were greatly surprised by a celestial phenomenon of a
very extraordinary character which had been observed for several
nights past. A star had been seen, night after night, rising in
the east as usual, and starting on its course toward the south.
But instead of continuing that course across the meridian, as stars
invariably had done from the remotest antiquity, it took a turn
toward the north, sunk toward the horizon, and finally set near the
north point of the horizon. Of course an explanation was wanted.
My assurance that there must be some mistake in the observation could
not be accepted, because this erratic course of the heavenly body
had been seen by all of them so plainly that no doubt could exist on
the subject. The men who saw it were not of the ordinary untrained
kind, but graduates of West Point, who, if any one, ought to be free
from optical deceptions. I was confidently invited to look out that
night and see for myself. We all watched with the greatest interest.

In due time the planet Mars was seen in the east making its way
toward the south. "There it is!" was the exclamation.

"Yes, there it is," said I. "Now that planet is going to keep right
on its course toward the south."

"No, it is not," said they; "you will see it turn around and go down
towards the north."

Hour after hour passed, and as the planet went on its regular course,
the other watchers began to get a little nervous. It showed no
signs of deviating from its course. We went out from time to time
to look at the sky.

"There it is," said one of the observers at length, pointing to
Capella, which was now just rising a little to the east of north;
"there is the star setting."

"No, it is n't," said I; "there is the star we have been looking at,
now quite inconspicuous near the meridian, and that star which you
think is setting is really rising and will soon be higher up."

A very little additional watching showed that no deviation of the
general laws of Nature had occurred, but that the observers of
previous nights had jumped at the conclusion that two objects,
widely apart in the heavens, were the same.

I passed more than four years in such life, surroundings, and
activities as I have described. In 1858 I received the degree of
D. S. from the Lawrence Scientific School, and thereafter remained
on the rolls of the university as