Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-10-01

dIternOOu Tlue. w uen IL Cdule u
crossing over the dry creek on whose
bank we had rested, we almost went
down in a quicksand, and 1t was only
by frantic struggles and flounderings
that we managed to get over.
On account of these quicksands and
mud-holes, crossing the creeks on thr
prairie is often very disagreeable work
Even when apparently perfectly dry
the bottom may have merely thin
crust of hard mud and underneath y
fathomless bed of slime. If the grass
appears wet and with here and there Il
few tussocks of taller blades in ii. il
is well to avoid it. Often a man may
have to go along creek nearly mile
before he can find n safe crossing, or
else run the risk Of seeing his horse
mired hard and fast. When horse Is
once in a mud-hoie it will perhaps So
exhaust itself by its first desperate
and frultless struggle that it is alm0s
impossible to get it out. It's bride
and saddle have to be taken off: il
another horse is along the lariat il
drawn from the por mel of the latters
saddle to the nee of the one that is H.
and it is hauled out by main force
otherwise man may have to work
half day, fixing the horses legs III
the right position and then taking it by
the forelock and endeavorilg to get il
to make a plunge; each plunge bring
ing it perhaps a few inches nearer the
firm ground. Quicksands are even
more dangerous than these mud-holcs
us, if at all deep, creature that can
not get out Immediately is sure to be
speedily engulfed. Many parts of thu
Little Missouri are impossible on ac-
count of these quicksands Always in
crossing unknown ground that looks
dangerous it is best TO feel your way
very cautiously along and, if possible,
to find out some cattle trail or even
game trail which can be followed,
For some time after leaving the
creek nothing was seen; until, on com
ing over the crest of the next grea:
divide, l came In sight of a band OF
six or eight prong-horn about a quar-
ter of a mile off to my right hand
There was a slight breeze from the
southeast, which blew diagona.l%
across my path towards the antelopes
The latter, after staring at me min
ute, as / rode slowly on, suddenly
started at full speed to run directly
up wind, and therefore IN a direction
that would cut the line of my course
less than half a mile ahead of where
| was. Knowing that when antelope
begin running in straight line they
are very hard to turn, and seeing that
they would have to run a longer dis
tance than my horse would to inter
cept them, l clapped spurs into Mani
tou, and the game old fellow, very
fleet runner, stretched himself down
to the ground and seemed to go almost
as fast as the quarry. AS l had ex-
pected, the latter, when they saw me
running, merely Strengthened them
selves out and went on, possibly even
faster than before, without changing
the line of their flight, keeping right
up wind. Both horse and antelope
fairly flew over the ground, thei.
courses being at an angle that would
certainly bring them together Two
of the antelope led, by some fifty
yards or so, the others. who were all
punched together. Nearer and nearer
we came Manitou, in spite of carrying
myself and the pack behind the sad
die, gamely holding his own, while the
antelope. with outstretched neclSS
went at an even, regular gait thlt
offered Il strong contrast to the spriu4
ing bounds with which deer run a
last the two leading animals crossed
the line OF my flight ahead of me,
when | pulled short up, leaped from
Manitou's back, and blazed into the
band as they went by not forty yards
off. aiming well ahead of n fine buck
who was on the side nearest me.
An antelope's gait is so even that il
offers good running mark; and rs the
smoke blew off l saw the buck rol
over like rabbit, with both shoulders
broken. | then emptied the Winchester
at the rest of the band, breaking one
hind leg Of young buck. Hastily cut
ting the throat of, and opening, the
dead buck, | again mounted and start
ed off after the wounded one. But
though only on three legs, it went rs.
tuulSuluPll IuSI, udNluE udu EOoU
start and after following it over a
mile | gave up the pursuit though !
had gained good deal; for the heat
was very great. and l did not deem il
well to tire the horse at the beginning
of the trip. Returning to the carcass.
cut off the hams and strung them be
side the saddle; an antelope is so spare
that there is very little more meat on
the body.
This trick of running In straight
line is another of the antelope's pecul-
lar characteristics which frequently
lead it into danger. Although with so
much sharper eyes than a deer, ante
lope are in many ways far stupider
animals, more like sheep, and they
especially resemble the latter in their
habit of following a leader, and in
their foolish obstlnacy In keeping to
q course they have once adopted. If
horseman starts to head off deer
the latter will always turn long be-
On Yawninu,