HALT ON THE OPEN PRAIRIE. 227 



lope ! " On this I would allow no halting, in the hope 

 that the antelope would continue to gaze at us, for, like 

 deer, they are prone to great curiosity ; but, alas ! a 

 thought on the direction of the cold keen wind, which 

 succeeded the hot sun, made me aware that, however 

 curious he might be as to appearances, his nose would 

 warn him of the presence of man, and therefore he would 

 take very good care to keep out of rifle distance. As I 

 expected, after gazing very hard at us, he walked gently 

 over the brow of the hill, and was lost to view. " Now 

 halt the waggons ! " I cried ; " let loose Bar, and bring 

 me the chesnut horse, Taymouth ! " and this being done, 

 I set off with my rifle for the brow of the hill, beneath 

 which the antelope had disappeared. I knew that in iny 

 approach he must still have the wind of me, for the ground 

 permitted no alteration in my line of advance, therefore 

 my hope was in a long flying shot, and at all events a 

 course for Bar. Arrived at the sky-line on which the 

 antelope had been standing, alas ! I viewed him again on 

 the next sky-line, and on reaching that, then I saw his 

 white-looking haunches going up and down in flight at a 

 distance over the plains. I did all I could to make Bar 

 catch view, but in vain ; so, it being nearly dark, and the 

 antelope quite out of sight, I rejoined my waggons. We 

 halted in the midst of the open plains, and encamp 

 ed by moonlight, and a more lonely desert;never greeted 

 the eyes of any traveller, or fostered an anticipation of 

 sport. On this day we killed five grouse, and I sought my 

 blankets, very ill indeed. 



On the following morning, Tuesday, we were off long 

 before the sun was up, and reached a place at half-past 

 eight, called Clark's Creek, to breakfast. While this was 

 being prepared, as usual, with Brutus at my heels, and 



