IN THE FAR WEST. 143 



I should fancy, disappointment, as they were content with a 

 few shakes, and a glance at me, as if to inquire how it hap- 

 pened that he was dead. The other men followed the three 

 couples, but they had to run for ten miles or more before they 

 caught the runaway. As both divisions of the hounds were 

 running in almost parallel lines, we had little difficulty in 

 reuniting the pack, and when that was done we started off for 

 new fields, after giving the animals a short rest. 



Moving about two miles towards the north, we reached a 

 long, rolling plain that extended for miles in every direction. 

 Halting there, we changed horses, for each man had his spare 

 steed with him. When the dogs were cast loose they could 

 find no scent, the soil being light and gritty, therefore not 

 well able to hold it, so we left there and directed our course 

 towards the eastward, where the grass was denser. A tramp 

 of two miles led us into a region where the hounds found a 

 sharp perfume, and away they went at a rattling pace, but 

 they lost it inside of a mile, and so suddenly that we were sur- 

 prised at it. We tried all means to strike the line again, by 

 casting about in every direction, and harking back, but we 

 could not find it. We then commenced searching the ground 

 for a burrow, and after working for perhaps ten minutes, one 

 of the party found a deep hole on the banks of a rivulet, and 

 leading the dogs there they gave tongue in the most 

 clamorous manner. This proved that the quarry was there, 

 and we were beginning to plan how we should get it out, 

 when one of the dogs raised his voice a few yards below us, 

 and on looking around we saw a coyote streaming away before 

 him. We dashed after the quarry at our best pace, and as the 

 horses were fresh we were soon leading the hounds. When 

 we got within range of the fugitive we opened fire promptly 

 with our revolvers, and somebody hitting it in the flanks 

 tumbled it over, and before it could get away the hounds 

 were upon it and throttling it to death. After this kill \ve 

 concluded to turn homewards, and take our chances with 

 meeting any coyotes on the way. We had proceeded scarcely 

 three miles before we surprised a vixen out for a "consti- 

 tutional," but she evidently had little fear of us, for she did 



