184 Hunting the Grisly 



hold was obtained, if the dog made his spring 

 cleverly, the buck was sure to come down 

 with a crash, and if the other dogs were any- 

 where near he was probably killed before he 

 could rise, although not infrequently the dogs 

 themselves were more or less scratched in the 

 contests. Some greyhounds, even of high 

 breeding, proved absolutely useless from ti- 

 midity, being afraid* to take hold ; but if they 

 got accustomed to the chase, being worked 

 with old dogs, and had any pluck at all, they 

 proved singularly fearless. A big ninety- 

 pound greyhound or Scotch deer-hound is a 

 very formidable fighting dog; I saw one whip 

 a big mastiff in short order, his wonderful 

 agility being of more account than his ad- 

 versary's superior weight. 



The proper way to course, however, is to 

 take the dogs out in a wagon and drive them 

 thus until the game is seen. This prevents 

 their being tired out. In my own hunting, 

 most of the antelope aroused got away, the 

 dogs being jaded when the chase began. But 

 really fine greyhounds, accustomed to work 

 together and to hunt this species of game, will 

 usually render a good account of a prong- 

 buck if two or three are slipped at once, fresh, 

 and within a moderate distance. 



