City and Country at Midsummer—Cosmorama of St. Louis—The American Bottom—Cahokia Creek—A Pecan Grove—The Ancient Mounds—First Group—Number—Resemblance—Magnitude—Outline—Railroad to the Bluffs—Pittsburg—The Prairie—Landscape—The "Cantine Mounds"—"Monk Hill"—First Impressions—Origin—The Argument—Workmanship of Man—Reflections suggested—Our Memory—The Craving of the Heart—The Pyramid-builders—The Mound-builders—A hopeless Aspiration—"Keep the Soul embalmed" [180]
XV
The Antiquity of Monk Mound—Primitive Magnitude—Fortifications of the Revolution—The Ancient Population—Two Cities—Design of the Mounds—The "Cantine Mounds"—Number—Size—Position—Outline—Features of Monk Mound—View from the Summit—Prairie—Lakes—Groves—Bluffs—Cantine Creek—St. Louis in distance—Neighbouring Earth-heaps—The Well—Interior of the Mound—The Monastery of La Trappe—Abbé Armand Rance—The Vows—A Quotation—Reign of Terror—Immigration of the Trappists—Their Buildings—Their Discipline—Diet—Health—Skill—Asylum Seminary—Worldly Charity—Palliation—A strange Spectacle [187]
[xiv] XVI
Edwardsville—Site and Buildings—Land Mania—A "Down-east" Incident—Human Nature—The first Land Speculator—Castor-oil Manufacture—Outlines of Edwardsville—Collinsville—Route to Alton—Sultriness—The Alton Bluffs—A Panorama—Earth-heaps—Indian Graves—Upper Alton—Shurtliff College—Baptized Intelligence—Knowledge not Conservative—Greece—Rome—France—England—The Remedy [197]
XVII
The Traveller's Whereabout—The Prairie in a Mist—Sense of Loneliness—The Backwoods Farmhouse—Structure—Outline—Western Roads—A New-England Emigrant—The "Barrens"—Origin of Name—Soil—The "Sink-holes"—The Springs—Similar in Missouri and Florida—"Fount of Rejuvenescence"—Ponce de Leon—"Sappho's Fount"—The Prairies—First View—The Grass—Flowers—Island-groves—A Contrast—Prairie-farms—A Buck and Doe—A Kentucky Pioneer—Events of Fifty Years—The "Order Tramontane"—Expedition of Gov. Spotswood—The Change—A Thunderstorm on the Prairies—"A Sharer in the Tempest"—Discretionary Valour [207]
XVIII
Morning after the Storm—The Landscape—The sprinkled Groves—Nature in unison with the Heart—The Impress of Design—Contemplation of grand Objects elevates—Nature and the Savage—Nature and Nature's God—Earth praises God—Indifference and Ingratitude of Man—"All is very Good"—Influence of Scenery upon Character—The Swiss Mountaineer—Bold Scenery most Impressive—Freedom among the Alps—Caucasus—Himmalaya—Something to Love—Carlinville—"Grand Menagerie"—A Scene—The Soil—The Inn—Macoupin Creek—Origin of Name—A Vegetable—An Indian Luxury—Carlinville—Its Advantages and Prospects—A "Fourth-of-July" Oration—The thronging Multitudes—The huge Cart—A Thunder-storm—A Log-cabin—Women and Children—Outlines of the Cabin—The Roof and Floor—The Furniture and Dinner-pot—A Choice of Evils—The Pathless Prairie [219]