244 THE OX FAMILY 



The prong-bucks fight until the stronger drives the 

 weaker away and sometimes pursues him for a dis- 

 tance. Mr. Seton, at a recent dinner of the Camp-fire 

 Club, told an interesting story of an encounter which 

 he and a friend witnessed. The vanquished animal 

 ran directly toward them and stopped near enough 

 for them to take him with the lariat had they so 

 desired. An eagle was flying on behind, but did not 

 come within range. The victorious buck stopped some 

 distance away. 



The coursing of antelopes with a good pack of grey- 

 hounds and stag-hounds on the open plains was the 

 best sport offered to the officers stationed at the mili- 

 tary garrisons of the Far West. I had a fine run one 

 day on the plains not far from Denver. I had been up 

 to visit and shoot ducks with an old college friend, a 

 ranchman, who lived north of Denver. Passing through 

 Denver upon my return, I met a college classmate who 

 was afterward Governor of Colorado. I had not seen 

 him for years, and he insisted upon my remaining over 

 for an antelope-hunt which he had planned for the next 

 day. He secured a good horse for me, and very early 

 in the morning a number of ladies and gentlemen as- 

 sembled, and with a fine pack, including many hand- 

 some greyhounds and stag-hounds, we rode out on the 

 plains. At about ten o'clock we discovered a small 

 band of antelopes feeding in a little valley a long way 

 off. The dogs were taken from the wagons, and their 

 handlers manoeuvred so as to approach the quarry 

 within a half-mile under cover of a rise in the plain. 

 We rode slowly behind. It was an exciting moment 

 as we sat upon our horses until the dogs were lined up. 



