THE PRONG-HORNED ANTELOPE. 227 



sounded so close that I involuntarily gave a jump to 

 avoid the threatening danger, when the turkeys took 

 wing, without a chance of a shot at them being afforded, 

 and turkey less I was compelled to remain ; but you may 

 bet that snake never scared anyone afterwards. He 

 was one of the largest and most venomous of his family, 

 being quite five feet long, as yellow as gold along the 

 abdomen, and possessed of sixteen rattles. He be- 

 longed to the variety which generally goes by the name 

 of timber- snake, much larger and totally different in 

 colour from the prairie rattlesnake or massasauga, 

 which is always black, and never exceeds eighteen 

 or twenty inches in length. 



Having found no game in the timber, I struck out 

 for the open land, and riding several miles I saw two 

 small droves of antelopes. This beautiful animal is 

 very difficult to stalk ; but as there appeared to be no 

 other means of getting on intimate terms with them, 

 I hobbled my horse, and taking advantage of all inter- 

 vening obstacles, managed unseen to get within five 

 hundred yards. Further approach now appeared impos- 

 sible, and I had almost relinquished the idea, when 

 it struck me that by making a slight detour to leeward 

 I could find a scant shelter from a dip that appeared to 

 lead in the direction of the game. On hands and 

 knees, slowly, I crossed the open, my stomach almost 



