84 WAITING IN THE WILDERNESS 



They went only a short distance when they re- 

 entered the ravine. I slipped down this, crawled 

 over a ridge, and came within a hundred feet of 

 them. The youngsters were busy suckling. 

 One was kneeling on each side, occasionally 

 urging mother to speed the milk by butting her. 

 When they started across the prairie I went far 

 around and came in behind a low ridge, planning 

 to get close to them or to another mother with 

 one kid whom I saw in the distance. After a 

 number of trials and much travelling I was again 

 close to the mother and two kids. But she 

 scented me and ran far away. 



It was time to start for camp. I looked 

 around to figure out where it was. Out on the 

 plains where most of the time one can see miles 

 in every direction I had not thought of using a 

 compass. 



I had known the points of the compass all day. 

 There was the sun a little above the horizon and 

 I knew that beneath it was a little to the south of 

 west. But knowing the directions did not tell 

 me the all-important thing the direction to 

 camp. I did not know whether carnp was miles 

 south or miles west. 



I walked a short distance to the top of a ridge. 

 I could not see a single landmark that I recog- 

 nized. Landmarks had been forgotten in the 

 watching of antelope. The sun was setting 



