Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-27
FLAGGNG ANTELOPE.
How the Agile Herds are Lured to De-
structfon.

structiOn.
In the fall Of 1881, says G.. o. Shields in
Harpef's Magazine, was riding down the
Yellowstone river, in company with my
friends Huffman and Conley, on our re-
turn from a hunting expedition to the Big
Horn Mountains. While passing over a
piece Of high table-land overlooking a
portion of the valleys of the Yellowstone
river and Big Porcupine creek, we met a
couple of hunters, who told us that a
large herd Of buffaloes were grazing on
the Big Porcupine, about 10 miles from
us; and knowing that antelopes are nearly
always found hanging on the outskirts OF
every herd of bufaloes, we at once began
TO scan the country with our glasses in
search of them. We were soon rewarded
by seeing number of small white specks
on the dead grass away up the Porcupine
that seemed to be moving. We rode to-
ward them at lively gait for perhaps a
mile, and stopped to look again. From
this point we could easily identify them,
although they seemed to be about the size
OF Jack-rabbits. We again put spurs to
our horses and rode rapidly to within a
mile of them, when we picketed our ami
mails IN low sWale, took out our ''ante-
lope fag"-apiece Of scarlet-cOlOred calico
about half yard square-attached it to
the end of my wiping stick, and were
ready to Interview the antel0Des.
crawled to the top Of ridge within
PLAIN view Of the game, and planted the
flag. The breeze spread it out, kept it
nutterIng, and it soon attracted their at
tention. This bit of colored rag excited
their curiosity to a degree that rendered
them FESTIVE, anxious, uneasy, and they
seemed at once to be seized with an in
satiable desire to find out what it was.
Huffman went to the top of another ridge
to my right, and some distance in adj
vance, and Conley crawled into a hollow
on the left, so that we three formed a half
circle, into which we intended, if posi-
BILE, to decoy the game.
When they first discovered our flag they
moved rapidly toward it, sometimes break
ing into trOt. But when they had COW
cred about half the distance between us
and their starting point they began to
grow suspicious, and stopped. They cir
cled around, turned back and walked a
few steps, then paused and looked back
at the, to them, mysterious apparitIon.
But they could not resist its magic influ-
eEce. Again they turned and came to-
ward us, stopped and gaZed curiously at
it. The old buck that led the herd stamped
as if annoyed at his inability
to solve the mystery. They walked eau
tiously toward us again down an incline
into valley which took them out of sight
of the flag.
This, of course, rendered them still more
impatient, and when they reached the top
Of the next ridge they were running. But
as soon as the leader caught sight of the
flag again he stopped, as did the others in
turn when they came in sight of it. They
were not more than a hundred yards from
me, and were still nearer to my friends. !
There were seven in the band-two bucks, |
three does and two kids. Their posi- |
ton was everything we could wish, and |
though we might possibly have brought |
them few yards nearer, there was a |
of their seeming us even across |
the wind, which, of course, we had ar |
ranged to have in our favor, and L de- |
cided that rather than run the risk of this |
and the consequent stampede, l would |
open on them where they were. 1t had |
been arranged that | was to begin the en-
and, drawing fine bead on |
the white breast of the old buck, pulled. |
Hufman's and COnley's rifles paid their |
to the pretty visitors at al /
most the. same instant, and for about /
thirty seconds thereafter we famed them
about as vigorously as ever a herd was
tanned under similar circumstances. The
air was full of leaden missiles, and the
Try uuSt TdlSeu unuef ana around the
teeing quarry. Clouds of smoke hung |
over US, and the distant hills echoed the |
music of our artillery, until the last white
rump disappeared among the cotton woods
IN the river bank. When the smoke of
battle cleared away, and we looked over
she field, we found that we had not burned |
)ur powder in vain. Five of the little
'ellows, two bucks and three does, had !
allen victims to their curiosity. The two |
lawns had, strangely enough, escaped, |
probably because they, being so much |
smaller than their parents, were less ex-
posed