THE ANTELOPE, OR PRONG-HORN. 371 



citing fun can be enjoyed by lassoing fawns; for if a per- 

 son is mounted on a good horse he can run down the latter 

 in n mile or two, and have a bucking youngster at the end 

 of his lariat. I have killed both old and young from cov- 

 er; I have shot them from horseback with a rifle, and tum- 

 bled one over occasionally with my revolver, by bounding 

 suddenly into the midst of a herd; but I prefer coursing 

 them with greyhounds to any other means. If a person is 

 not accompanied by these interesting companions, however, 

 he can have some pleasant sport, if mounted, by jumping 

 suddenly from cover upon a herd and firing away until he 

 has knocked over several; for they become so thoroughly 

 frightened on seeing their human foe that they dash wildly 

 about in circling movements, and do not attempt to flee 

 until a dozen or more of them, perhaps, are stretched on 

 the ground. 



I have heard Dr. W. F. Carver, the famous rifle-shot, say 

 that when he lived by hunting he frequently loaded a wag- 

 on with antelopes by surprising them in this manner, and 

 that on one occasion he killed a small herd before they re- 

 covered their wits sufficiently to break away beyond range 

 of his deadly rifle. Few men can boast such a feat, how- 

 ever; and it would, perhaps, be safe to say that the best 

 scout or hunter in the West has never done anything to 

 approach it. 



It is rather disagreeable for a man of feeling to ap- 

 proach a wounded antelope, as the poor creature weeps 

 copiously, and looks so appealingly toward him with its 

 large and beautiful eyes, that he is fortunate if their glance 

 does not affect him so much as to prevent him from put- 

 ting it out of its misery. The same is somewhat true 

 about lassoing fawns ; for, when captured, their eyes are 

 often overspn-ad with tears, especially if they have been 

 driven hard, as if they were suffering the greatest pain. 

 In many cases they are, no doubt; for they cut their fore- 

 legs badly, when closely pressed, because, according to old 

 hunters, they cannot, when tired, get them out of the way 

 of the hinder fast enough ; and the result is that the skin 



