Hunting in Many Lands 



gether with in one case some skillful maneu- 

 vering, got me my game ; yet one buck cost 

 nine cartridges and the other eight. In 1894 

 I had exactly the reverse experience. I killed 

 five antelope for thirty-six shots, but each one 

 that I killed was killed with the first bullet, 

 and in not one case where I missed the first 

 time did I hit with any subsequent one. 

 These five antelope were shot at an average 

 distance of about 150 yards. Those that I 

 missed were, of course, much further off on an 

 average, and I usually emptied my magazine 

 at each. The number of cartridges spent 

 would seem extraordinary to a tyro ; and a 

 very unusually skillful shot, or else a very 

 timid shot who fears to take risks, will of 

 course make a better showing per head killed; 

 but I doubt if men with much experience in 

 antelope hunting, who keep an accurate ac- 

 count of the cartridges they expend, will see 

 anything out of the way in the performance. 

 During the thirteen years I have hunted in 

 the West I have always, where possible, kept 

 a record of the number of cartridges expended 

 for every head of game killed, and of the dis- 

 tances at which it was shot. I have found 

 that with bison, bears, moose, elk, caribou, big- 



280 



