Hunting in the Cattle Country 



bare, while the shepherds whom we met — wild- 

 looking men on rough horses, each accom- 

 panied by a pair of furtive sheep dogs — had 

 taken every opportunity to get a shot at ante- 

 lope, so as to provide themselves with fresh 

 meat. Two days of fruitless hunting in this 

 sheep-ridden region was sufficient to show that 

 the antelope were too scarce and shy to give 

 us hope for sport, and we shifted quarters, a 

 long day's journey, to the head of another 

 creek ; and we had to go to yet another before 

 we found much game. As so often happens on 

 such a trip, when we started to have bad luck 

 we had plenty. One night two of the three sad- 

 dle horses stampeded and went back straight as 

 the crow flies to their home ranee, so that we 

 did not get them until on our return from the 

 trip. On another occasion the team succeeded 

 in breaking the wagon pole ; and, as there was 

 an entire absence of wood where we were at 

 the time, we had to make a splice for it with 

 the two tent poles and the picket ropes. 

 Nevertheless it was very enjoyable out on 

 the great grassy plains. Although we had 

 a tent with us, I always slept in the open in 

 my buffalo bag, with the tarpaulin to pull over 

 me if it rained. On each night before going 



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