ow," Abe said; "fortunately we are down wind now. You
had better stop behind this time, young fellow, and watch us."

In a moment the four men dismounted and threw their reins on the horses'
necks--a signal which all horses on the plains know to be an order that
they are not to move away--and the animals at once began cropping the
grass. For a short distance the men walked forward, and then, as they
neared the brow over which Dick declared he had seen the horn, they went
down on all fours, and finally, when close to the brow, on their
stomachs.

Very slowly they drew themselves along. Frank looked on with the
greatest attention and interest, and presently saw them halt, while Abe
proceeded alone. He lifted up his head slightly, and immediately laid it
down again, while the other three crawled up close to him. There was a
moment's pause, then the guns were thrust forward, and each slightly
raised himself.

A moment later the four rifles flashed, and the men sprang to their feet
and disappeared over the brow. Frank rode forward at full speed to the
spot, and arrived there just in time to see a number of deer dashing at
full speed far across the plain, while the four hunters were gathered
round three dead stags in the hollow. The hunters' shots had all told;
but two had fired at the same animal, the bullet-holes being close to
each other behind the shoulder.

"Dick was right, you see," Abe said. "It was lucky he caught sight of
that horn, for we might not have come upon another herd to-day. Now we
will make our way on to the camping-ground; we can go easy, for we
shall be there long before the teams."

Their horses were brought up, and the deer placed upon them. The hunters
then mounted, and took their way in the direction of the spot where the
caravans would encamp for the night.

"I understand how you find your way now, because the sun is up," Frank
said, "but I cannot understand how you would do it on a cloudy day,
across a flat country like this, without landmarks."

"It's easier to do than it is to explain it," Abe said. "In the first
place there's the wind; it most always blows here, and one only has to
keep that in a certain quarter. If there ain't no wind, there's the
grass and the bushes; if you look at these bushes you will see that they
most all turn a little from the direction in which the wind generally
blows, and this grass, which is in seed, droops over the same way. Then,
in course, there is the gen