BURCHELL'S ZEBRA 



" Now comes a trial of skill and speed with the 

 wing men. Will they get through or not ? It is a 

 wild dash for freedom. They stop at nothing, and 

 in spite of all efforts on the part of the horsemen, 

 two of the Zebras and the foal get over the line, 

 and are out along the hillside towards the distant 

 mountains. Two only, for the third was, after 

 much helter-skelter, stopped and headed back. 

 The hunt was now cut in two. The wing men rode 

 off in pursuit of the three animals which had got 

 away. Meanwhile, within the fenced area (which, 

 it must be remembered, was open to the veld at its 

 broad end, and to the kraal at its apex) the sport 

 waxed fast and furious. Up and down, round and 

 round, sped the desperate Zebra, stopped by the 

 wire fence on two sides of the triangle, and by horse- 

 men on the third. To the men with the lasso it 

 gave no chance ; to the kraal it would have nothing 

 to say. Close behind it rode Mr. John du Plessis, 

 mounted on a horse as untiring as it was sure-footed. 

 It was a wild race between horse and Zebra, and 

 the end came in an extraordinary way. Mr. du 

 Plessis (riding 15 St., by the way) was galloping 

 close at the heels of the Zebra, when the latter 

 suddenly swung round on its hind-legs and faced 

 its pursuer. Without checking his horse in its pace, 

 this veritable Nimrod flung himself out of the saddle 

 right in front of the Zebra, seized hold of the 

 astounded creature by its enormous ears, and by 

 sheer force of weight and muscle, held down its 



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