ON THE PRAIRIE 33 



greyhounds is as manly and exhilarating a 

 form of sport as can be imagined, a much 

 better way of hunting it than is shooting it 

 with the rifle, which latter, though needing 

 more skill in the actual use of the weapon, 

 is in every other respect greatly inferior as 

 a sport to still-hunting the black-tail or big- 

 horn. 



I never but once took a trip of any length 

 with antelope hunting for its chief object. 

 This was one June, when all the men were 

 away on the round-up. As is usual during 

 the busy half of the ranchman's year, the 

 spring and summer, when men have no time 

 to hunt and game is out of condition, we 

 had been living on salt pork, beans, potatoes, 

 and bread; and I had hardly had a rifle in 

 my hand for months; so, finding I had a 

 few days to spare, I thought I should take 

 a short trip on the prairie, in the beautiful 

 June weather, and get a little sport and a 

 little fresh meat out of the bands of prong- 

 horn bucks, which I was sure to encounter. 

 Intending to be gone but a couple of days, 



