ANTELOPE MOVIE STARS 57 



or ice. Instead of resembling the grassy plains of 

 Kansas or Nebraska, now it was like a real desert and 

 I had difficulty in justifying to Yvette and Mac my 

 glowing accounts of its potential resources. 



Moreover, the human life was just as disappointing 

 as the lack of vegetation, for we were "between sea- 

 sons" on the trail. The winter traffic was almost ended, 

 and the camels would not be replaced by cart caravans 

 until the grass was long enough to provide adequate 

 food for oxen and horses. The yurts, which often are 

 erected far out upon the plains away from water when 

 snow is on the ground, had all been moved near the 

 wells or to the summer pastures; and sometimes we 

 traveled a hundred miles without a glimpse of even 

 a solitary Mongol. 



Ude had been left far behind, and we were bowl- 

 ing along on a road as level as a floor, when we saw 

 two wolves quietly watching us half a mile away. We 

 had agreed not to chase antelope again ; but wolves were 

 fair game at any time. Moreover, we were particu- 

 larly glad to be able to check our records as to how fast 

 a wolf can run when conditions are in its favor. Colt- 

 man signaled Mac to await us with the others, and 

 we swung toward the animals which were trotting 

 slowly westward, now and then stopping to look back 

 as though reluctant to leave such an unusual exhibition 

 as the car was giving them. A few moments later, 

 however, they decided that curiosity might prove dan- 

 gerous and began to run in earnest. 



They separated almost immediately, and we raced 



