ON THE PRAIRIE 147 



hardly draw a bead; and I either overshot 

 or else at the last moment must have given 

 a nervous jerk and pulled the rifle clear off 

 the mark. At any rate I missed clean, and 

 .vhole band plunged down into a hollow 

 and were off before, with my stiffened and 

 numbed fingers, I could get another shot; 

 and in wet, sullen misery we plodded back 

 to the ponies. 



All that day the rain continued, and 

 passed another wretched night. Next 

 morning, however, it had cleared off, and as 

 the sun rose brightly we forgot our hunger 

 and sleepiness, and rode cheerily off up a 

 large dry creek, in whose bottom pools of 

 rain-water still stood. During the morning, 

 however, our ill-luck continued. My com- 

 panion's horse almost trod on a rattlesnake, 

 and narrowly escaped being bitten. While 

 riding along the face of a steeply-inclined 

 bluff the sandy soil broke away under the 

 ponies 1 hoofs, and we slid and rolled down 

 to the bottom, where we came to in a heap, 

 horses and men. Then while galloping 



