OF A RANCHMAN 71 



deceive himself into the belief that these oc- 

 casional long shots are to be taken as sam- 

 ples of his ordinary skill. Yet it is curious 

 to see how a really truthful man will forget 

 his misses, and his hits at close quarters, 

 and, by dint of constant repetition, will fi- 

 nally persuade himself that he is in the habit 

 of killing his game at three or four hundred 

 yards. Of course in different kinds of 

 ground the average range for shooting va- 

 ries. In the Bad Lands most shots will be 

 obtained much closer than on the prairie, 

 and in the timber they will be nearer still. 

 Old hunters who are hardy, persevering, 

 and well acquainted with the nature of the 

 animals they pursue, will often kill a great 

 deal of game without being particularly good 

 marksmen; besides, they are careful to get 

 up close, and are not flurried at all, shooting 

 as well at a deer as they do at a target. 

 They are, as a rule, fair shots that is, they 

 shoot a great deal better than Indians or 

 soldiers, or than the general run of Eastern 

 amateur sportsmen; but I have never been 



