A Trip on the Prairie 203 



prong-horn; and these few did not include any 

 owned by either of my two friends. But the an- 

 telope were always being obliged to break back from 

 the edge of the plateau, and so were forced constantly 

 to offer opportunities for cutting them off ; and these 

 opportunities were still further increased by the 

 two hunters separating. One of them would go to 

 the upper end of the plateau and start the band, rid- 

 ing after them at full speed. They would distance 

 him, but would be checked in their career by com- 

 ing to the brink of the cliff; then they would turn 

 at an angle and give their pursuer a chance to cut 

 them off; and if they kept straight up the middle 

 the other hunter would head them. When a favor- 

 able moment came the hunters would dash in as 

 close as possible and empty their revolvers or re- 

 peaters into the herd ; but it is astonishing how hard 

 it is, when riding a horse at full speed, to hit any 

 object, unless it is directly under the muzzle of the 

 weapon. The number of cartridges spent compared 

 to the number of prong-horn killed was enormous; 

 but the fun and excitement of the chase were the 

 main objects with my friends, to whom the actual 

 killing of the game was of entirely secondary im- 

 portance. They went out after them about a dozen 

 times during the winter, and killed in all ten or fif- 

 teen prong-horns. 



A prong-horn is by far the fleetest animal on the 

 plains; one can outrun and outlast a deer with the 

 greatest ease. Very swift greyhounds can overtake 

 them, if hunted in leashes or couples; but only a 



