128 TRAVELS IN THE EIGHTIES. 



cattle-trail, intending to skirt one of the curious ledges 

 or parallel layers of limestone, so commonly found 

 throughout "Wyoming, along the sides of river valleys, 

 and which extend unbroken sometimes for hundreds 

 of miles. 



I had got pretty quick by this time at l spotting ' 

 game, and reined-in Pete before my head and shoulders 

 had well topped the brow of the first slope, for on the 

 crest of the next one, well defined against the sky, rose 

 the horns of a fine blacktail or mule-deer. The animal 

 was lying motionless in the meagre shade of a dead 

 red-cedar, and its head was turned towards the sound 

 of footsteps. Pete was still below the brow of the hill, 

 and the stag had not yet seen anything but my head 

 and shoulders. Throwing the reins on the ground, in 

 which position Pete would have remained without 

 moving during the whole day, I cautiously descended 

 and wormed myself into view and brought the rifle to 

 bear upon the stag, which I expected would rise and 

 make off. But after waiting a considerable time, and 

 seeing that the animal, which was almost exactly the 

 colour of the ground, showed no signs of moving, I 

 prepared to fire. It was so perfectly motionless that, 

 had it not been for the horns it would have been 

 almost undistinguishable. I judged the distance to 

 be a hundred yards. The effect of my shot was 

 electrical. I can only describe it by saying that the 

 spot where a fine mule-deer had been lying was vacant 

 long before the sound of the shot had died away. 



I had time to note, as the animal disappeared over 



