32 PRAIRIE ANIMALS. 
my brother and myself; who had been scour- 
ing the plains during the morning without 
success, finally perceived a deep hollow lead- 
ing in the direction of the Canadian, where 
we found a fine pool of water, and our wa- 
gons ‘made port’ again before mid-day ; thus 
quieting all alarm. 
Although we had encountered but very 
few buffalo since we left Spring Valley, they 
now began to make their appearance again, 
though not in very large droves; together 
with the deer and the fleet antelope, which 
latter struck me as being much more tame in 
this wild section of the Prairies than I had 
seen it elsewhere. The graceful and majes- 
tic mustang would also now and then sweep > 
across the naked country, or come curvetting 
and capering in the vicinity of our little cara- 
van, just as the humor prompted them. But 
what attracted our attention most were the 
little dog settlements, or, as they are more 
technically called, ‘ dog towns,’ so often allud- 
ed to by prairie travellers. As we were pass- 
ing through their ‘streets, multitudes of the 
diminutive inhabitants were to be seen among 
the numerous little hillocks which marked 
their dwellings, where they frisked about, or | 
sat perched at their doors, yelping defiance, ‘ 
to our great amusement—heedless of the dan- ; 
ger that saa pwerge —— from the rifles of 
our party; for they h rhaps never seen 
such deadly weapons before. = 2 
On the 5th of June, we found ourselves 3 
once more travelling on a firm rolling prairie, 
Ba 
