The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-08-23
Tagging Antelope.

I'm the fall of 1881 | was riding down
the Yellowstone River in company With
my friends, Huffman and Conleys on
our return from a hunting expe-
dition to the Big Horn Mountains
While passing over piece of high table
land overlooking portion of the val-
| leys of the Yellowstone River and Big
Porcupine Creek, we met a couple OF
hunters, who told us that large herd
of buffaloes were grazing on the Big
Porcupine about fifteen miles from US;
and knowing that antelope are nearly
always found hanging on the outskirts
of every herd of buffaloes, we at once
began to scan the country with our
glasses in search of them. We were
soon rewarded by seeing q number OF
small white specks on the dead grass
away up the Porcupine that seemed tp
be moving. We rode toward them Of
a lively gait for perhaps mile, and
stopped to look again. From this point
we could easily identify them, although
they still seemed to be about the size II
jack-rabbits. We again put spurs To
our horses and rode rapidly to within 4
mile of them, when we picketed OUT
animals in low swale, took out out
antelope tlag"-a piece of scarlet,
colored calico about half a yard square
attached it to the end of my wiping
stick and were ready to interview tho
antelopes.
l crawled to the top of a ridge within
plain view of the game and planted tha
flag. The breeze spread it out, kept u
iuttering, and it soon attracted theft,
attention. This bit of colored r&a,@ox9
cited their curiosity to degree that
rendered them FESTIVE, anxious, upeasy
and they seemed at once to be seized
with an Unsuitable desire to find out
what it was. Huffman went to the top
of another ridge to my right and some
distance in advance, and Conley
crawled into a hollow on the left, SO
| that we three formed balf-circle, into
which we intended, if possible, to decoy
the game.
When they first discovered our flag
they moved rapidly toward it, some
times breaking into trot. But when
they had covered about half the
distance between us and their starting
point they began to grow suspicious,
and stopped. They circled 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 influence.
Again they turned and came toward US,
stopped, and gazed curiously at it.
The old buck that led the herd stamped
impatiently, as if annoyed at his in
ability to solve the mystery. They
walked cautiously toward us again
down an incline into q 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 ight 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
position was everything we could wish,
and though we might possibly have
brought them few yards nearer, there
was possibility of their seeming us
eN6n dCIOSS IH6 WInuy WHICH, Ol course,
we had arranged to have in our favor,
and decided that rather than run -tAsee-
risk of this and the consequent STAN
pede, | would open on them where they
were. 1t had been arranged that was
to begin the entertainment, and draw
ing a fine bead on the white breast of
the old buck, l pulled. Huffman's and
Conley's rifles paid their compliments
TO the pretty visitors at almost the same
instant, and for about thirty seconds
thereafter we famed them about as
vigorously as ever herd was famed
under similar circumstances. The air
was full of leaden missiles, and the dry
dust raised under and around the flee
ng 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
cOttonwoOds on the river bank. When
the smoke of battle cleared away and
we looked over the field, we found that
we had not burned our powder in vain.
Five of the little fellows, two bucks and
three does, had fallen victims to their
curiosity. The two fawns had, strange
ly enough, escaped, probably because
they, being so much smaller than their
parents, were less exposed. C. o.
Shields, IN HGrper's Magazine.