BURCHELL'S ZEBRA 



it, and the horsemen are closing rapidly round behind 

 them. The excitement is becoming intense ; the 

 horses plunge forward recklessly over the boulder- 

 strewn ground ; the Zebras are galloping straight 

 for the kraal. In thirty seconds they will be in ; 

 but no ! The leader has scented danger. In the 

 middle of his stride he swerves. The whole troop 

 swings ' right wheel ' into line, and charges straight 

 for the wing fence. What are they going to do ? 

 Will they attempt to clear it ? Will they dash into 

 it and attempt to burst it ? They are not such 

 fools as to try either of these plans. Three of their 

 number forge ahead of the rest, and, with heads 

 low down, fling themselves forward, driving their 

 heads under the lowest wire almost up to their 

 withers, and, with a mighty heave, up comes the 

 fence, the nearest post flying clean out of the ground. 

 Through go the three ; behind them falls the 

 fence ; over it bound the rest of the troop, and away 

 — but not all. One catches his hoof in a wire, and 

 turns a beautiful somersault in black and white. 

 He is up in an instant, joins his comrades, and off 

 they go. See them going, going, gone ! They have 

 vanished in thin air over the opposite hills. And 

 there, on the backs of nigh upon a score of panting 

 and puzzled horses, sit nigh upon a score of gallant 

 horsemen ruminating on the bitterness of life, the 

 fickleness of wire fencing, and the incredible fussi- 

 ness of mountain Zebras, and making sundry remarks 

 pecuharly appropriate to the occasion. 



199 



