HUNTING IN CATTLE COUNTRY 177 



light buckskin horse, and I left him on the ridge crest to 

 occupy their attention while I cantered off to one side. 

 The pronghorns became uneasy as I galloped away, and 

 ran off the ridge crest in a line nearly parallel to mine. 

 They did not go very fast, and I held in Muley, who 

 was all on fire at the sight of the game. After crossing 

 two or three spurs, the antelope going at half speed, they 

 found I had come closer to them, and turning, they ran 

 up one of the valleys between two spurs. Now was my 

 chance, and wheeling at right angles to my former course, 

 I galloped Muley as hard as I knew how up the valley 

 nearest and parallel to where the antelope had gone. The 

 good old fellow ran like a quarter-horse, and when we 

 were almost at the main ridge crest I leaped off, and ran 

 ahead with my rifle at the ready, crouching down as I 

 came to the sky-line. Usually on such occasions I find 

 that the antelope have gone on, and merely catch a 

 glimpse of them half a mile distant, but on this occasion 

 everything went right. The band had just reached the 

 ridge crest about 220 yards from me across the head of 

 the valley, and had halted for a moment to look around. 

 They were starting as I raised my rifle, but the trajectory 

 is very flat with these small-bore smokeless-powder weap- 

 ons, and taking a coarse front sight I fired at a young 

 buck which was broadside to me. There was no smoke, 

 and as the band raced away I saw him sink backward, the 

 ball having broken his hips. 



We packed him bodily behind Sylvane on the buck- 

 skin and continued our ride, as there was no fresh meat 

 in camp, and we wished to bring in a couple of bucks 



