At night our travellers were obliged to diverge from the trail, in order to get grass for their horses; for, upon a belt of at least four miles in width which the buffaloes had passed over, not a blade of grass was left standing.
But another want now began to be felt by the party--one that filled them with serious apprehensions.

At the end of the second day their stock of dried bear's meat gave out--not an ounce of it was left--and they lay down upon the prairie supperless and hungry.

What rendered the prospect still more disheartening, they were passing through a region entirely destitute of game--where no animal is ever seen except the buffaloes themselves, an occasional antelope, or the ever-present prairie-wolf.
It was a region essentially _desert_ in its character; although the dry plains were covered with a sward of the famous "buffalo-grass" (_Sesleria dactyloides_), which forms the favourite pasture of these wild cattle.

As for the antelopes, they love these desert solitudes; as their free open range affords them an opportunity, from their superior fleetness, of escaping from every enemy.

But in these parts they are more than usually shy; and although several of them were seen on the way, our hunters vainly endeavoured to approach within shooting distance of them.