IN THE FAR WEST. 233 



troopers, officers, regular hunters, and even novices, especially 

 when they had inexperienced horses that would not follow an 

 elk without the use of the reins. 



If a man has a trained steed that will chase an elk or a 

 herd without any guidance from the hand, a rifle is by 

 far the best weapon. This should be lifted promptly to 

 the shoulder, and fired the moment it covers the object, 

 for any attempt to take deliberate aim when a horse is at 

 full speed is an impossibility, as the gun falls upon and down 

 with the strides. A slight glance along the barrel is gene- 

 rally sufficient, and a person will find after a little experience 

 that he can shoot as well that way as if he rested half a minute 

 on the sight. 



The most effective and the surest shot is made quartering, 

 so that the bullet may pass through the ribs and lungs, and 

 possibly break the fore-shoulder. Another good one is to 

 strike the animal in the back so that the spinal column may 

 be broken ; this is not so easily made as the previous one, how- 

 ever, as the target is not so large. A capital weapon for 

 general shooting on horseback is the latest model of the Win- 

 chester or Sharp rifle, the former being especially convenient, 

 owing to its magazine and the rapidity with which it can be fired. 



Few sights are more stirring than to behold a herd of elks, 

 numbering from five hundred to a thousand, with their branch- 

 ing antlers, looking like a brash thicket at a distance, and their 

 graceful forms, scouring over the plains in wild confusion. 

 When startled they bound away in a body and keep so close 

 that they soon become enveloped in clouds of dust, through 

 which is heard the clashing of antlers, and the heavy, 

 measured tread of many hoofs. When hard-pressed, they 

 break up into small groups and run in every direction; and to 

 prevent this, persons ought to keep about twenty or thirty 

 feet In-hind them, and rake them from the flanks. To get 

 within this distance and stay there for any length of time, 

 fast and vigorous horses are required, for an elk can outrun any 

 ordinary horse if the ground is at all rough, and can keep up 

 its pace for a distance of seventy miles or more with apparent 

 ease. It is no unusual incident, therefore, for a spirited steed 



