ii86 MULE-HUNTING EXPEDITION. 



Their favourite haunts appear to be the grassy 

 prairies, that extend hundreds of miles without 

 a break through Texas and Oregon, dotted 

 everywhere with small patches of timber. As 

 the eye wanders over the limitless tract of 

 prairie, these small isolated belts and clumps 

 of trees exactly resemble beautifully-wooded 

 islands, studding a sea of waving grass. Here 

 the prong-buck wanders in herds of from sixty 

 to seventy; naturally slry, approaching them 

 is not by any means an easy matter; on the 

 least alarm the males give the shrill whistlino- 



o 



snort, toss their graceful heads, sniff the air, 

 stamp with their forefeet, then bound away like 

 the. wind; the herd circle round at first, then 

 wheel up again in tolerable line, have another 

 look, and, if apprehensive of danger, dash off, 

 and seldom stop until safe from all risk of harm. 

 There are two methods of hunting them prac- 

 tised by the Indians, on horseback and on foot. If 

 the former, three or four mounted savages, armed 

 with bows, arrows, and lassos, approach from 

 different points, so as to get a herd of antelopes 

 between them on the open prairie. They then 

 ride slowly round and round the herd, each 

 time diminishing the circle: the terror-stricken 

 beasts huddle closer and closer together, and 



