THE BISON OR AMERICAN BUFFALO. 13 



hunter's paradise. The drought had forced 

 all the animals to come to the larger water- 

 courses, and the country was literally swarm- 

 ing with game. Every day, and all day long, 

 the wagons travelled through the herds of 

 antelopes that grazed on every side, while, 

 whenever they approached the canyon brink, 

 bands of deer started from the timber that 

 fringed the river's course ; often, even the deer 

 wandered out on the prairie with the antelope. 

 Nor was the game shy ; for the hunters, both 

 red and white, followed only the buffaloes, 

 until the huge, shaggy herds were destroyed, 

 and the smaller beasts were in consequence 

 but little molested. 



Once my brother shot five antelopes from 

 a single stand, when the party were short of 

 fresh venison ; he was out of sight and to 

 leeward, and the antelopes seemed confused 

 rather than alarmed at the rifle-reports and the 

 fall of their companions. As was to be ex- 

 pected where game was so plenty, wolves and 

 coyotes also abounded. At night they sus- 

 rounded the camp, wailing and howling in a 

 kind of shrieking chorus throughout the hours 

 of darkness ; one night they came up so close 

 that the frightened horses had to be hobbled 

 and guarded. On another occasion a large 

 wolf actually crept into camp, where he was 

 seized by the dogs, and the yelling, writhing 

 knot of combatants rolled over one of the 

 sleepers ; finally, the long-toothed prowler 

 managed to shake himself loose, and vanished 

 in the gloom. One evening they were almost 



