Page:Six months in Kansas.djvu/58

54 ’claims' are already preempted; you will please move farther up the territory."

Our ablutions are of course of the most superficial kind. Good old Jacob has not yet arrived among the pilgrims; and the water for man and beast comes from dame Nature's kindness, in opening sundry little springs on the ravine slopes, in this city of a year. It will take years to dig wells. They are not the absolute necessity that houses are; and the wonder to me all the while is, what can they stone them with after they are dug? There is nothing here but lime-stone. And the water now is but lime-water, too hard for cleaning purposes.

The days are intensely hot; everybody looks wilted and dirty: how can it be otherwise? Ex-Governor Keeder arrived here today. He is a fine-looking man, rather stout, with grey hair, the mien and air of a gentleman, and of the Philadelphia stamp. The people here seem very enthusiastic about him, at which I am not at all surprised. He is a brave and noble-hearted man.

Every day brings fresh loads of emigrants, from almost every State in the Union. Many