20 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



eland. At a hard gallop, however, they can spin 

 along for miles, and so we found to-day. After a 

 time the giraffes separated, and suffice it to say that, 

 at the end of an hour or so, I found myself lying on 

 my back, with my right leg nearly broken, by coming 

 violently into contact with the trunk of a tree ; and, 

 on getting up and remounting my horse, not only 

 were the giraffes out of sight, but nowhere could I see 

 either of my two companions. Though, of course, my 

 inexperience contributed much to the unsuccessful 

 issue of this, my first giraffe hunt, yet I cannot help 

 thinking that my horse also had a good deal to do 

 with it, for, having been bred in the open plains of 

 the Transvaal Republic, he was quite at sea in the 

 thick forests of the interior ; and if, when going at 

 full gallop through a thick wood, you intend to pass 

 on one side of a tree, but your horse, being of a 

 different opinion, swerves suddenly and goes to the 

 other, it is awkward, to say the least of it. 



My first object was to rejoin my companions ; so, 

 not having heard a shot, and imagining they must by 

 this time have given up chasing the giraffes, I fired as 

 a signal, and at once heard a shot in answer far to my 

 right, and rode in that direction. After riding some 

 distance I again pulled up, and shouted with all my 

 might, and then, not hearing anything, fired another 

 signal shot, but without effect. As my horse was 

 very tired, I now saddled off for a short time and then 

 fired a third shot, and listened intently for an answer, 

 but all was silent as the grave ; so, as the sun was 

 now low, I saddled up again and struck a line for the 

 waggon road, thinking my friends had already done 

 the same thing. In this way I rode on at a slow 

 pace, for my horse was tired and thirsty, keeping 

 steadily in one direction, till the sun, sinking lower 



