ON THE PRAIRIE 61 



his stock of such an immense amount of feed. 

 Very little game was seen during the morn- 

 ing, as I rode in an almost straight line over 

 the hot, parched plains, the ground cracked 

 and seamed by the heat, and the dull brown 

 blades bending over as if the sun was too 

 much even for them. The sweat drenched 

 the horse even when we were walking; and 

 long before noon we halted for rest by a bit- 

 ter alkaline pool with border so steep and 

 rotten that I had to bring water up to the 

 horse in my hat; having taken some along 

 in a canteen for mv own use. But there was 

 a steep bank near, overgrown with young 

 trees, and thus giving good shade ; and it was 

 this that induced me to stop. When leaving 

 this halting-place, I spied three figures in the 

 distance, loping towards me; they turned 

 out to be cowboys, who had been out a couple 

 of days looking up a band of strayed ponies, 

 and as they had exhausted their supply of 

 food, I gave them the antelope hams, trust- 

 ing to shoot another for my own use. 



Nor was I disappointed. After leaving 



