282 SPORTING ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. 



my companions, I saw several of them pursuing the animals 

 in every direction, while others were dismounted, having 

 evidently been successful in the run. Having marked the 

 position of my victim, I was returning to join a group of 

 two or three of my comrades, when I met a hind and her 

 fawn coming toward me iu the most unsuspicious manner. 

 I dashed at them, but, instead of running up wind, they cut 

 across it, and headed for a coppice of cotton-woods three 

 or four miles distant. I pursued them at a rattling pace ; 

 but, my horse being quite pumped, I could not get them 

 to break their trot, so the chase continued for a couple of 

 miles, when the hind fell forward suddenly on her head as 

 if shot; but before I could overtake her she was off again. 

 I noticed in a short time that she was running in a pecul- 

 iar manner, as if one of her legs were injured, yet I could 

 not close the distance between us. After awhile she show- 

 ed signs of faltering ; her pace was becoming unsteady ; 

 and the fawn which had kept by her side all the way shot 

 ahead of her. Feeling assured that she was injured, I did 

 not press my horse very hard, as I was hoarding his strength 

 for a final dash. As every step she took seemed to weaken 

 her more, I finally made a spurt, and was beside her in less 

 than ten minutes, and, putting my revolver to her head, I 

 shot her dead. The fawn broke away in an opposite direc- 

 tion, on seeing me close on it, and by this means escaped. 

 On looking at the hind, I saw that one of her forelegs was 

 broken near the fetlock, the result of stepping into a prai- 

 rie-dog hole, yet she must have run at least two or three 

 miles more after that accident. 



Having extracted the viscera, I marked her position, and 

 started back to where two men were left with our extra 

 horses, as the animal I rode was quite done up, and covered 

 with foam. While returning, I noticed that the elks and 

 antelopes which we had driven toward the mountains were 

 scurrying back, as if they were being pursued ; and this 

 caused me to halt and closely scan the landscape. I fortu- 

 nately carried my field-glass slung over my shoulder, and, 

 taking it out, I made a survey of all that portion of the val- 



