HUNTING THE PRONG HORNED ANTELOPE. 351 



that, in a part of the mountains which we were about to visit 

 on the morrow, he once had a battle with a " carcagieu," which 

 lasted upward of two hours, during which he fired a pouch full 

 of balls into the animal's body, which spat them out as fast 

 as they were shot in. To the truth of this improbable story 

 he called all the saints to bear witness. 



Two days after, as we were toiling up a steep ridge after a 

 band of mountain-sheep, my companion, who was in advance, 

 suddenly threw himself fla,t behind a rock, and exclaimed, in a 

 smothered tone, signaling me with his hand to keep down and 

 conceal myself, " Sacre enfant de Garce, mais here's von dam 

 carcagieu !" 



I immediately cocked my rifle, and, advancing to the rock, 

 and peeping over it, saw an animal, about the size of a large 

 badger, engaged in scraping up the earth about a dozen paces 

 from where we were concealed. Its color was dark, almost 

 black ; its body long, and apparently tailless ; and I at once 

 recognized the mysterious beast to be a "glutton." After I 

 had sufficiently examined the animal, I raised my rifle to shoot, 

 when a louder than common "Enfant de Garce" from my 

 companion alarmed the animal, and it immediately ran off, 

 when I stood up and fired both barrels after it, but without 

 effect ; the attempt exciting a derisive laugh from the Cana- 

 dian, who exclaimed, " Pe gar, may be you got fifty balls ; 

 vel, shoot 'em all at de dam carcagieu, and he not care a 

 dam !" 



The skins of these animal are considered " great medicine" 

 by the Indians, and will fetch almost any price. They are 

 very rarely met with on the plains, preferring the upland 

 valleys and broken ground of the mountains, which afford 

 them a better field for their method of securing game, which 

 is by lying in wait behind a rock, or on the steep bank of a 

 ravine, concealed by a tree or shrub, until a deer or antelope 

 passes underneath, when they spring upon the animal's back, 

 and holding on with their strong and sharp claws, which they 



