Shooting the Prong-buck 



they are headed, and get a reasonably 

 close shot. 



In the fall of 1896 I spent a fortnight 

 on the range with the ranch wagon. I 

 was using for the first time one of the 

 then new small-caliber, smokeless-powder 

 rifles, a 30-30-160 Winchester. I had a 

 half -jacketed bullet, the butt being cased 

 in hard metal, while the nose was of pure 

 lead. 



While travelling to and fro across the 

 range we usually broke camp each day, 

 not putting up the tent at all during the 

 trip ; but at one spot we spent three nights. 

 It was in a creek bottom, bounded on 

 either side by rows of grassy hills, beyond 

 which stretched the rolling prairie. The 

 creek bed, which at this season was of 

 course dry in most places, wound in 

 S-shaped curves, with here and there a 

 pool and here and there a fringe of stunted, 

 wind-beaten timber. We were camped 

 69 



