230 AUDUBON THE NATUEALIST. 



earliest adventures in that way, wliicli occurred 

 many years ago, and give you merely a sketch 

 of the mode in which we killed them during our 

 journey to the West, in 1843. 



One morning in July, our party and several 

 persons attached to Fort Union, (for we were 

 then located there,) crossed the river, landed 

 opposite the fort, and passing through the rich 

 alluvial belt of woodland which margins the 

 river, were early on our way to the adjacent 

 prairie, beyond the hills. Our equipment con- 

 sisted of an old Jersey wagon, to which we had 

 two horses attached, tandem, driven by Mr. 

 Culbertson, principal at the fort. This wagon 

 carried Mr. Harris, Bell, and ourselves, and 

 we were followed by two carts, which contained 

 the rest of the party, while behind came the 

 running horses or hunters, led carefully along. 

 After crossing the lower prairie, we ascended 

 between the steep banks of the mgged ravines, 

 until we reached the high undulating plains 

 above. On turning to take a retrospective view, 

 we beheld the fort and a considerable expanse 

 of broken and prairie land behind us, and the 

 course of the river was seen as it wound along, 

 for some distance. Resuming our advance we 

 soon saw a number of antelopes, some of which 

 had young ones with them. After travelling 

 about ten miles farther we approached the Fox 



