114 THE WILDERNESS HUNTER. 



and successful hunter, we sat for half an hour 

 or so round the fire, and then turned in under 

 the blankets, pulled the tarpaulins over us, 

 and listened drowsily to the wailing of the 

 coyotes until we fell sound asleep. 



We determined to stay in this camp all day, 

 so as to try and kill another prong-buck, as 

 we would soon be past the good hunting 

 grounds. I did not have to go far for my 

 game next morning, for soon after breakfast, 

 while sitting on my canvas bag cleaning my 

 rifle, the sheriff suddenly called to me that a 

 bunch of antelope were coming towards us. 

 Sure enough there they were, four in number, 

 rather over half a mile off, on the first bench 

 of the prairie, two or three hundred yards 

 back from the creek, leisurely feeding in our 

 direction. In a minute or two they were out 

 of sight, and I instantly ran along the creek 

 towards them for a quarter of a mile, and then 

 crawled up a short shallow coulie, close to 

 the head of which they seemed likely to pass. 

 When nearly at the end I cautiously raised 

 my hatless head, peered through some strag- 

 gling weeds, and at once saw the horns of the 

 buck. He was a big fellow, about a hundred 

 and twenty yards off ; the others, a doe and 

 two kids, were in front. As I lifted myself 

 on my elbows he halted and turned his raised 

 head towards me ; the sunlight shone bright 

 on his supple, vigorous body with its mark- 

 ings of sharply contrasted brown and white. 

 I pulled trigger, and away he went ; but I 

 could see that his race was nearly run, and he 

 fell after going a few hundred yards. 



Soon after this a wind storm blew up so 



