168 GAME. 



Within 300 yards the 'quarter horse' ran almost 

 against the buck, who, turning his head in surprise, 

 broke into his lumbering run. Some accident stopped 

 the fast horse, but I was near enough to take up the 

 running. In a mile the elk was nearly pumped, 

 and showed every symptom of the greatest distress. 

 Looking back I saw all the party strung out for half a 

 mile ; none were near enough to be my rival in the chase. 

 I therefore husbanded my forces, and let my horse only 

 run fast enough to keep the elk at the very top of his 

 speed. The race was up to the creek bottom. I kept 

 on the left of the elk, between him and the ravine, and 

 so near that I could easily have killed him with a boar 

 spear had I had one. I was admiring my prize and 

 enjoying every moment, running easily, " horse perfectly 

 in hand, when, without a single preliminary look or act, 

 the elk turned sharp to the left, frightening my horse 

 into a momentary swerve, passed in front so near that 

 I could have touched him with my hand, and, without a 

 moment's hesitation, plunged off a perpendicular bank of 

 twenty feet into the chasm, and disappeared in the jungle. 



The whole line of pursuers saw the act, and turned 

 short to the ravine, but it was at least fifteen minutes 

 before we could hunt the elk from his hiding place. As 

 it was he broke cover 500 yards from me 3 on the other 

 side of the ravine, and, before I could find a place to 

 cross, I was hopelessly out of the race. Galloping from 

 one hill top to another, I saw the finish. Like myself, 

 the whole party was thrown out except two Indians, one 

 mounted on a poor pony, the other on a mule. Though 

 terribly blown the elk led them a long chase, and, getting 

 into some broken ground, w r ould have escaped any pur- 

 suer similarly mounted but an Indian. From my vantage 

 ground I could see all his manoeuvres, and he worked 

 hard and well for his life. Though now scarcely able to 

 trot he was full of ruses. He would dodge around the 

 point of a hill, get out of sight of his pursuers, double his 



