The difficulties of search are enormously increased by the broken character of a rolling bluffy prairie.

The bluffs intercept the view, and the rolls on the prairie can hide successfully a large bunch of cattle or horses, and it may take a week to beat up a country thickly strewn with bluffs, and diversified with coulees that might easily be searched in a single afternoon.
The close of the third day found the travellers on Wakota trail.
"We'll camp right here, Kalman," said French, as they reached a level tongue of open prairie, around three sides of which flowed the Eagle River.
Of all their camps during the three days' search none was so beautiful, and none lived so long in Kalman's memory, as the camp by the Eagle River near Wakota.

The firm green sward, cropped short by a succession of campers' horses,--for this was a choice spot for travellers,--the flowing river with its soft gurgling undertone, the upstanding walls of the poplar bluffs in all the fresh and ample beauty of the early summer drapery, the over-arching sky, deep and blue, through which peeped the shy stars, and the air, so sweet and kindly, breathing about them.

It was all so clean, so fresh, so unspoiled to the boy that it seemed as if he had dropped into a new world, remote from and unrelated to any other world he had hitherto known.
They picketed their horses, and with supper over, they sat down before their fire, for the evening air was chill, in weary, dreamy delight.

They spoke few words.