XII ROAN ANTELOPE SHOT 251 



badly wounded that he would not be very far trom 

 where I had lett him ; indeed, my chief fear was 

 that he would die before morning and the hyasnas 

 destroy the skin. Going back to my horse, that 

 was still standing where I had left him, I at once 

 mounted and rode along the track at a brisk canter 

 towards the waggons. I was riding along thus, 

 the rain coming down pretty sharply, when I saw, 

 standing looking at me, not 100 yards from the 

 road, a fine old roan antelope bull. Pulling in, I 

 at once jumped to the ground, which decided him 

 to decamp. Just as he turned, however, I fired, 

 and saw by the rush he instantly made that he was 

 hard hit. Jumping on my horse, I was soon hard 

 upon his heels ; but he did not lead me far, falling 

 dead before he had run 150 yards. He carried a 

 fine head, which 1 instantly set to work to cut off. 

 Then, once more remounting, and carrying the 

 head before me across the saddle, I rode as fast 

 as I could to the waggons, which I reached about 

 half an hour after dark, in time to recount to 

 my friends, over a rough but substantial dinner, 

 the excellent afternoon's sport that I had met with, 

 and my sanguine hopes of bagging the wounded 

 lion on the following day. 



At dawn next morning we were stirring, and by 

 sunrise were half-way to the spruit where 1 had 

 last seen the lion, having left orders for the waggons 

 to inspan and follow us at once. On reaching the 

 spruit we off-saddled the horses, and, leaving a Kafir 

 in charge of them, proceeded with the dogs and the 

 rest of the Kafirs and Bushmen to look up the lion 

 on foot. Though some heavy showers had fallen 

 during the night, we were still able to get the spoor 

 away through the patch of bush in which I had last 



