FRESH DISOBEDIENCE IN MR CANTERALL. 265 



detour to avail ourselves of the wind and some low ground. 

 Having reached the shoulder of a low hill, which again 

 gave us an available line, Bayard suddenly reined in his 

 horse, and, pointing with his hand, called on me "to look." 

 At first I could scarcely believe my eyes, and so doubtful 

 was I if they served me right that I exclaimed to my 

 companion, " Why, is it that fellow Canterall ?" "No one 

 else," replied Bayard, "and he means to have a shy at our 

 game !" I believe that if it had not been for the fear of 

 hitting my own horse Kansas, whom he had been strictly 

 ordered by me to keep quiet, I should have fired a long 

 shot at this rascal to have stopped him ; but resolving to 

 see what it was he was going to do, we contented our 

 selves, unseen by him, with observing his actions. We 

 saw him, on my steady horse Kansas, run at the herd ; 

 he was beautifully carried up to them, and we heard him 

 fire five or six shots, and knew from the way he went 

 that he had disturbed the whole line of the country over 

 which we had resolved to go. We therefore at once 

 struck off in a much wider and more easterly direction, 

 and saw nothing more of him, and it was very well for 

 him that we did not just then do so. The rascal in this 

 instance, as usual, missed everything he shot at from his 

 horse, except the calf and a wounded bull, of which I have 

 before spoken, and on this occasion spoilt our sport and 

 disobeyed every order he had received. 



Bayard and myself continued our way over the plains, 

 and rode right into a large pack of prairie grouse, which 

 lay very well, and longed for our shot guns ; but not 

 having them, we kept after the largest game. As we 

 were riding together, I fixed my eyes on something just 

 the colour of the stem of a large tree protruding from 

 some very high grass, and called Bayard's attention to it. 



