318 BIG GAME OF NOKTII AMERICA. 



Don't be in a hurry. Take a cautious survey, as during 

 the day it often liappens that an old buck is lying down 

 sunning himself on some gentle slope, when he may easily 

 be mistaken for a stone; or perhaps a whole band may be 

 feeding or wandering through these ravines, right under 

 you, or deep dow n where the grass is freshest. This is more 

 likely to be the case in the fall months, when the j)rairie 

 grass on the level and high ground has become sun-dried 

 and cured, in which case Antelope, and in fact all herbiv- 

 orous animals, prefer the short grass, which is more tender 

 in low, damp ground. 



If by good fortune you should chance to see one or more, 

 walk back to your horse. Don't j^ull him up to where you 

 are. Take off your picket-pin, drive it in firmly with your 

 heel, and be sure it is straight, as then it will hold better. 

 Fasten your horse securely, and commence your stalking. 

 After the horse is well off your hands, then you are all 

 right; but be sure before you leave him that he can't get 

 away, or when you come back you may find your horse 

 has disappeared, and then, as frequentl}' happens, you may 

 be fifteen miles from camp, which is quite a long walk, 

 besides losing your saddle and accouterments; for although 

 the horse may turn up, you will generally hear from the 

 party who has found him that he was stripped. Whether 

 he was or not, that is generally the story, so it pays to have 

 the horse both tied and hobbled. 



Now go steadily; keep the wind w^ell in your face, and, 

 if necessary, do the very best creeping you can. Get as 

 close as possible, and don't shoot if you can't get within 

 three hundred yards. Never mind what you have done at a 

 target, or w^hat you see in print about long shots, and all 

 that. I have seen dozens of as fine rifle-shots as ever put a 

 rifle to shoulder, and I never saw a man yet w^ho could count 

 on an Antelope at more than three hundred yards. Remem- 

 ber, it is fully equal to a five-point in an eight-inch ring. 

 Besides, if you miss this shot, you may at the same time 

 scare away more game than you have seen in a week; so 

 be steady. After crawling about and dragging yourself 



