226 THE FIRST ANTELOPE. 



difficult creeks to cross, he was never by any cliance in his 

 place to direct proceedings. In consequence of this, 

 weak and ill as I was, I had to get out of my ambulance, 

 and attend to the dragging of the wheels myself; for un 

 less I personally directed all precautions as to safety, not 

 a man would either trouble himself to hold on to the 

 wheels, stir hand or foot, nor attend to the due interests 

 of the waggons. On my giving Mr Canterall a very 

 good set-down in regard to his neglect of duty, he gener 

 ally said he had gone on to look for cabins where we 

 might procure corn, but really his object in going ahead 

 was to inquire the way to Fort Riley, as to which route 

 he had not the slightest conception ; the fact of his ignor 

 ance, I subsequently found, was very well known to my 

 men. 



The track we then pursued was very remarkable and 

 very dusty, the dust so excessively fine and black that 

 we all were the colour of chimney-sweeps, particularly 

 my men, their vicinity always being at the waggons. 

 Our road lay through the bed of what had evidently 

 once been a considerable river. Limestone rocks, bared 

 on the margin of former floods, were on a level with 

 each other on either side, while the grass grew luxuri 

 antly on the dark alluvial soil beneath. My men said 

 they saw traces of turkey and deer, but I saw none, and 

 felt too ill to take much trouble about a species of game 

 that I was well aware were very scarce. 



Occasionally our course left the bed of the ancient river 

 arid crossed the plains, when, on a most open and bleak 

 stretch of the prairies, just as it was getting dusk, from 

 the seat of my ambulance I saw something stationary on 

 the sky-line of a gently rising ground, and ere I could 

 make out what animal it was, my men cried out " ante- 



