IN THE FAR WEST. 317 



shot them from horseback with a rifle, and tumbled one over 

 occasionally with my revolver, by bounding suddenly into the 

 midst of a herd, but I prefer coursing 1 them with greyhounds 

 to any other means. If a person is not accompanied by these 

 interesting companions, however, he can have some pleasant 

 sport, if mounted, by jumping suddenly from cover upon a 

 herd and firing away until he has knocked over several, for 

 they become so thoroughly frightened on seeing their human 

 foe that they dash wildly about in circling movements, and 

 do not attempt to flee until a dozen or more of them, perhaps, 

 are stretched on the ground. 



I have heard Dr. W. F. Carver, the famous rifle-shot, say that 

 when he lived by hunting he frequently loaded a waggon with 

 antelopes by surprising them in this manner, and that on one 

 occasion he killed a small herd before they recovered their wits 

 sufficiently to break away beyond range of his deadly ride. 

 Few men can boast such a feat, however, and it would, perhaps, 

 be safe to say that the best scout or hunter in the West has 

 never done anything to approach it. 



It is rather disagreeable for a man of feeling to approach a 

 wounded antelope, as the poor creature weeps copiously, and 

 looks so appealingly towards him with its large and beautiful 

 eyes, that he is fortunate if their glance does not affect him so 

 much as to prevent him from putting it out of its misery. The 

 same is somewhat true about lassoing fawns, for when cap- 

 tured their eyes are often overspread with tears, especially 

 if they have been driven hard, as if they were suffering 1 the 

 greatest pain. In many cases they are, no doubt, for thevcut 

 their fore-legs badly when closely pressed, because, according to 

 old hunters, they cannot, when tired, get them out of the way 

 of the hinder fast enough ; and the result is that the skin 

 is worn away from above the knees to the hoofs, and this of 

 course causes much suffering. To capture them without doing 

 them any injury, they should be run down in as short a time 

 as possible, and, when caught, be placed in a waggon, so 

 as to prevent any necessity for dragging or forcing them 

 along. 



As a proof of how greyhounds can compare in speed with the 



