148 TEN DAYS IN MONTANA. 



Just as we finished breakfasting an antelope appeared on 

 top of a ridge half a mile away, and one of the " ;th " boys 

 picked up his carbine, ran to the brow of another ridge 

 within about two hundred yards, fired, and knocked it down. 

 He started to go up to it, when it recovered from the shock 

 sufficiently to get up and run. He fired two more shots at it 

 as it ran, one of which hit it, but still not fatally. As he had 

 only taken three cartridges with him, he was compelled to 

 give up the game and return to camp, but as the animal had 

 taken the course upon which our route lay, we overhauled him 

 soon after leaving camp, and a ball from the Major's rifle 

 finished him. 



While we were striking tents and packing up preparatory 

 to the start, we saw a lone horseman coming from the east. 

 It proved to be Mr. Hill, who had become separated from us 

 the evening previous while on the march. He had been 

 unable to find us again before night set in, and spent the 

 night on the prairie, alone, with the broad canopy of heaven 

 for a tent, and the cold, cold ground for a bed. He said 

 there was one advantage in staying out all night that a 

 fellow was sure to get up early in the morning, but he pre- 

 ferred to camp with the other boys in future, even if he didn't 

 wake up quite so early. 



We resumed the march at eight o'clock ; Major Bell threw 

 out scouts to right, left, and in front, with instructions to 

 cover as much ground as possible, and whenever they sighted 

 buffalo to come in and report to him at once. We moved 

 along at a good gait until half-past ten o'clock, when we saw 

 the half-breed scout and one of the soldiers on top of a tall 

 butte, about two miles ahead of us. They had stopped and 

 dismounted. We knew at once that they had sighted game, 

 and we were^m a fever of excitement to know what was ahead. 

 They mounted, rode back to us, and imparted the welcome 



