IN THE BIG HORN MOUNTAINS. 



69 



tance of where Huffman stood the game broke cover and 

 started over the next ridge, but at the crack of Huffman's 

 rifle the leader, a magnificent buck, staggered, stumbled, 

 swayed to and fro, and after a dozen or more jumps, fell with 

 a bullet through his shoulder. Ping ! went Jack's carbine, 

 and the doe turned completely over with a broken neck. 

 My old pill-driver woke the echoes among the far-away foot- 

 hills, and as the smoke cleared away I saw the dust and 

 stones waltzing around in the air just beyond where the deer 

 had been, but he was going toward the top of the ridge with 

 something like the speed of the late comet. In my haste I 

 had shot over or under him, I couldn't tell which, but the 

 next shot proved more lucky, for just as he reached the top of 

 the ridge an explosive bullet caught him high up in the 

 shoulder, splintering both shoulder blades and breaking his 

 spine. He was a good-sized spike buck. We formed a 

 mutual admiration society at once and proceeded to con- 

 gratulate each other on our good shooting. It certainly was 

 "deuced clevah," for here lay three deer within fifty yards 

 of each other, killed with four shots, and all on the jump. 



We reached the Little Big Horn at four o'clock in the 

 afternoon, and went into camp near the mouth of Pass creek. 

 There had been a large band of Indians encamped at this 

 point only a few days before, and we were afraid they had 

 driven the game all out of the valley, but were agreeably dis- 

 appointed, as the sequel will show. Early the next morning, 

 September 4th, we moved up the Little Big Horn, and during 

 the day jumped at least twenty deer, but did not shoot at 

 them as we had all the venison we wanted. We also jumped 

 three coyotes during the day, and never let an opportunity 

 slip to fan them. We killed the third one at two hundred 

 yards or over. We were all shooting at him, but from the 

 appearance of the hole in his ribs when we held \hspost mortem 



