Hunting in the Cattle Country 



ing flat on my face, for the crest of the hillock 

 sloped so gently that this was the only way to 

 get near them. At last, peering through the 

 grass, I saw the head of a doe. In a moment 

 she saw me and jumped to her feet, and up 

 stood the whole band, including the buck. I 

 immediately tried to draw a bead on the latter, 

 and to my horror found that, lying flat as I 

 was, and leaning on my elbows, I could not 

 bring the rifle above the tall, shaking grass, 

 and was utterly unable to get a sight. In an- 

 other second away tore all the antelope. I 

 jumped to my feet, took a snap shot at the 

 buck as he raced round a low-cut bank and 

 missed, and then walked drearily home, chew- 

 ing the cud of my ill luck. Yet again in more 

 than one instance, after making a good stalk 

 upon a band seen at some distance, I found it 

 contained only does and fawns, and would not 

 shoot at them. 



Three times, however, the stalk was success- 

 ful. Twice I was out alone; the other time 

 my foreman was with me, and kept my horse 

 while I maneuvered hither and thither, and 

 finally succeeded in getting into range. In 

 both the first instances I got a standing shot, 

 but on this last occasion, when my foreman 



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