HUNTING THE PRONG-BUCK. 113 



telope hunting. When fresh meat is urgently 

 needed, and whn time is too short, the 

 hunter who is after antelope in an open flat- 

 tish country must risk many long shots. In 

 no other kind of hunting is there so much 

 long-distance shooting, or so many shots fired 

 or every head of game bagged. 



Throwing the buck into the wagon we con- 

 tinued our journey across the prairie, no longer 

 following any road, and before sunset jolted 

 down towards the big creek for which we had 

 been heading. There were many water-holes 

 therein, and timber of considerable size ; box 

 alder and ash grew here and there in clumps 

 and fringes, beside the serpentine curves of 

 the nearly dry torrent bed, the growth being 

 thickest under the shelter of the occasional 

 low bluffs. We drove down to a heavily 

 grassed bottom, near a deep, narrow pool, 

 with, at one end, that rarest of luxuries in the 

 plains country, a bubbling spring of pure, cold 

 water. With plenty of wood, delicious water, 

 ample feed for the horses, and fresh meat we 

 had every comfort and luxury incident to 

 camp life in good weather. The bedding was 

 tossed out on a smooth spot beside the wagon ; 

 the horses were watered and tethered to 

 picket pins where the feed was best ; water 

 was fetched from the spring; a deep hole 

 was dug for the fire, and the grass roundabout 

 carefully burned off; and in a few moments 

 the bread was baking in the Dutch oven, the 

 potatoes were boiling, antelope steaks were 

 sizzling in the frying-pan, and the kettle was 

 ready for the tea. After supper, eaten with 

 the relish known well to every hard-working 

 & 



