

ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND WESTERN CATTLE LAND. 113 



the sake of both the meat and the antlers. The 

 animals seemed to have heard something, and had 

 concealed themselves in a small patch of thick bushes, 

 leaving, however, the tips of their horns plainly 

 visible. A high wind was blowing, and it had begun 

 to rain, with heavy thunder. Nothing was therefore 

 easier than to approach them unheard, and I actually 

 got within three yards of where they were standing, 

 and, judging by the horns where the body of the 

 biggest was, fired ; when, to my astonishment, with a 

 tremendous crashing, both deer fell down into the 

 bushes, where, somewhat to my annoyance (for I only 

 wanted one) I found both lying dead. Worse still, 

 I omitted, in my ignorance, to " clean " either of them, 

 so that, when I subsequently found our party, they 

 considered the meat useless, as not having been gral- 

 loched within half an hour. 



The horns, too, were equally unserviceable as tro- 

 phies, as I was annoyed to find that they were still " in 

 velvet." Hurrying back to Pete, whom I had left 

 standing with the rein on the ground, I made for the 

 side of the hill, but could find no tracks whatever, so 

 climbed the hill itself, from the top of which I decided 

 that the outfit must have passed by one of two gulches, 

 towards which I started at a " lope " (for Pete could 

 never be got to go any faster). Eain was now falling 

 heavily, and all traces that might have been left had 

 long since become obliterated. After travelling on 

 for ten miles, and scaring herds of antelope in every 

 direction, it commenced to get dark, and I began to 



i 



