Letters of Peter H. Burnett.
411
animals frequently come down upon the waters of Blue River to spend the winter among the rushes, which are abundant in the bottoms near the stream; but they return in the spring. On the fourteenth of June we passed over a level plain of rich prairie land, equal to any in the world for farming purposes; but it was wild, solitary prairie.
On the 15th one of the company killed an antelope an animal not very plenty in this region, but seen occasionally for the last three or four days. June 16th, one deer and one antelope were killed, and we had a most beautiful race between an antelope and some fleet dogs. The animal ran down the line of wagons for about two miles, in full view, about two hundred yards from us; and as fast as he would leave one dog behind, another would come in from the wagons. Why the animal did not change his course, I can not tell, unless perhaps he was too much confused. Perhaps no animal in the world is so fleet as this beautiful creature. He will weigh about as much as a deer, has hair of much the same length and color, is formed a little like the goat, but is much more slender and neat in his form. The bucks have horns, with several prongs to them, not so long as the horns of a deer, and of a black color. The bucks have black stripes, about an inch wide, running down from under each ear, and continuing under each eye toward the nose. These stripes, and thin black hairs, give the animal quite a fanciful appearance. Nothing is more beautiful and graceful than the movements of this active animal. He runs very smoothly; not in irregular bounds, like the deer. Mr. Lindsay Applegate, who had two very fleet greyhounds with him, stated to me that he one day witnessed a race between his best greyhound and an antelope. He said the antelope and dog were running at right angles towards each other, and the antelope did not discover the dog until the dog was within twenty feet of him. The struggle then commenced, and they ran about a quarter of a mile, each doing his utmost; but the antelope outran the dog so far, that the dog stopped still, and looked after the antelope in utter astonishment. The dog had often run upon deer and wolves with ease. The antelope is a very wary animal, and difficult of approach. His curiosity is, however, very great; and the hunter, adapting himself to the habits of the animal, conceals himself behind a hillock of sand, or other object, and putting his hat, cap, or handkerchief upon the end of his gunstick, he raises it about two feet, gently waiving it backward and forward. As soon as the antelope sees it, he approaches gradually nearer and nearer, making a sort of snorting noise, and alternately approaching and retreating, until he comes within reach of the hunter's trusty rifle. He is not very tenacious of life, and a small wound will disable him, so that he surrenders. The antelope, though exceedingly fleet, can be run down on horseback, when very fat, by continuing the chase about twenty miles. Mr.
