the ridden slowly limping behind, —presenting a marked contrast between the opening and closing scene.
The ill-fated horse was too much disabled for further service during the journey.
As our hero joined the company, the joke-loving wags again broke loose:
"Well, Jim. I say, —ahem! did you catch the tarnal critter?"
"Pooh! Why didn't you hold on, and not let her slide through your fingers in that way!"
"Why, man! You wasn't spry enough, when you jumped off your horse, or you might have caught her—just as easy!"'
"I'd like to know what you was diving after in that sand-bank!—the antelope wasn't there!"
"Oh, Jim! Shoot him grass, kill horse. Me look next time he run antelope."
The passive recipient of these sallies had little peace from henceforth, and soon began to wish he had never seen an antelope or heard of a crane.
CHAPTER V.
Deserted camp. Big Jim's third attempt as a hunter. Buffalo and other particulars. Big Jim lying guard. Butchering. Strange selections. Extraordinary eating, and excellence of buffalo meat. Brady's Island. The murderer's fate. Substitute for wood. A storm. Game in camp. Strange infatuation. Tenacity of buffalo to life, and how to hunt them. Cross S. Fork of Platte. Big Jim's fourth adventure.
NEAR camp was the site recently occupied by the Pawnee village, whose occupants had evidently deserted it with the utmost precipitancy, leaving lodge-skins, mortars, bowls, pans, and a variety of other articles strown confusedly upon all sides. They had doubtless become alarmed at the approach of some real or supposed enemy, and consulted their own safety in flight.
Having started early the next day, our hunter soon brought in two fine antelope, the sight of which again raised the ambition of Big Jim, who would fain do deeds of equal wonder; and he accordingly strolled off into the hills with that intent. After shooting at several of the wary animals without, success, he began to get tired of the sport, and concluding the "'poverty-stricken" creatures not worth the powder and lead, set his face for the caravan.
Plodding leisurely along, he espied a prairie snake, and, o'erjoyed at the thought of counting a "coup," gathered his rifle by the small, and brought it down with such force, he not only killed the snake, but broke his gunstock short off at the breech. With the pieces, one in each hand, he made his appearance before his comrades, who hailed him:
