On the Little Missouri 



Formerly the prong-horned antelope were 

 very plentiful on the immense rolling prairies 

 which stretch back of the Little Missouri, 

 where my ranch house stands. In the old 

 days they could often be procured by luring 

 them with a red flag for they are very 

 inquisitive beasts. Now they have grown 

 scarce and wary, and must usually either be 

 stalked, which is difficult, owing to their ex- 

 treme keenness of vision and the absence of 

 cover on the prairies, or else must be ridden 

 into. With first-class greyhounds and good 

 horses they can often be run down in fair 

 chase ; without greyhounds the rider can hope 

 for nothing more than to get within fair shoot- 

 ing-range, and this only by taking advan- 

 tage of their peculiarity of running straight 

 ahead in the direction in which they are 

 pointed when once they have settled into 

 their pace. Usually antelope, as soon as they 



see a hunter, run straight away from him ; 



204 



