181 



had covered half the distance between us 

 and their starting point, they began to 

 grow suspicious and stopped. They cir- 

 cled around, turned back, walked a few 

 steps, and then paused and looked back 

 at the, to them, mysterious apparition. 

 But they could not resist its magic influ- 

 ence. Again ^hey turned and came to- 

 ward it, stopped, and gazed curiously at 

 it. The old buck who led the herd 

 stamped impatiently, as if annoyed at be- 

 ing unable to solve the mystery. Then 

 they walked cautiously toward us again, 

 down an incline into a valley, which took 

 them out of our sight, and out of sight 

 of the flag. This of course rendered 

 them still more impatient, and when they 

 again came in sight on the next ridge, 

 they were running. But as soon as their 

 leader caught sight of the flag, he 

 stopped, as did the others in their turn 

 when they reached the top of the ridge. 

 There were seven in the herd, two bucks, 

 three does and two fawns. They were 

 now not more than a hundred yards from 

 me, and still less from the other two of 

 our party. Their position was every- 

 thing we could wish, and though we 

 might possibly have brought them a few 

 yards nearer, there was a possibility of 

 their scenting us, even across the wind, 

 which, of course, we had arranged to 

 have in our favor, and I decided that 

 rather than run the risk of this and the 

 consequent stampede, I would shoot 

 while I had a good chance. It had been 

 arranged that I was to open the ball, so I 

 drew my peep and globe sights down 

 very finely, taking the white breast of the 

 old buck for my bull's-eye, and pulled. 

 Hufl^man's Kennedy and Jack's carbine 

 paid their complim.ents to the pretty vis- 



itors at almost the same instant, and for 

 about two or three minutes thereafter we 

 fanned them about as vigorously as ever 

 a herd got fanned under similar circum- 

 stances. The air was full of leaden mis- 

 siles; the dry dust raised under and 

 around the fleeing herd as it does when 

 a team trots over a dusty road. Clouds 

 of smoke hung over us, and the distant 

 hills echoed the music of our artillery 

 until the last white rump disappeared in 

 the cottonwoods on the river bank. 



"When the smoke of battle cleared 

 away, and we looked over the field, we 

 found that we had not burned our pow- 

 der in vain. Five of the little fellows, the 

 two bucks and three does, had fallen vic- 

 tims to their curiosity. The two fawns 

 had, strangely enough, escaped, probably 

 only because they, so much smaller than 

 their parents, were less exposed." 



The antelope have a curious way of 

 protecting their young, when on the open 

 prairie. This is accomplished by placing 

 a ring of sharp-pointed cacti about a spot 

 which has been beaten smooth by their 

 hoofs. Inside this ample protection the 

 animal cares for its young and secures in- 

 gress and egress for itself by jumping 

 over the ring of cacti. This serves to pro- 

 tect them from the majority of their foes, 

 which inhabit the open country. 



The antelope does not thrive well in 

 captivity, the older ones soon killing 

 themselves in their attempts to escape. 

 The young taken soon after their birth 

 generally die early, unless very special 

 care is bestowed upon them, and even if 

 they survive the juvenile state, they are 

 verv likelv to die when three or four 

 months old, from pyaemic sores or in- 

 flammation of the limbs. 



