XII MY HORSE PLAYS ME FALSE 259 



him. The gemsbuck, having all this time been 

 going at a hard gallop, was 500 yards ahead, 

 when, by dint of spurring, I got my horse started 

 again. Little by little 1 crept up to within 300 

 yards of the chase, when I felt that Bottle 

 was again going to pull up. Wild with rage and 

 mortification, I dropped the reins, and raising my 

 heavy rifle above my head, and holding it just in 

 front of the hammer, struck the poor beast with all 

 my force between the ears. He tell in his tracks 

 like an ox that is poleaxed, shooting me over his 

 head — for he was still going pretty fast. After I had 

 disengaged myself from him, he soon stood up, and 

 I then, to my astonishment, saw that he had not 

 turned a hair, there not being a drop of sweat upon 

 him, except under the saddle, neither was he panting 

 in the least. In fact, he had simply refused to run 

 out of " pure cussedness," and lost me this, my first 

 chance of killing a gemsbuck, and now heaven knows 

 when I may get another. But now for the pith of 

 my story. Riding back to Serule, I at once inspanned, 

 and at ten o'clock p.m. outspanned a few miles short 

 of Pelatsi. As the Bushman told me there were 

 also gemsbuck about Pelatsi, and I wished to ride 

 out to look for some on the following day, I did not 

 tie Bottle up, but left him loose to feed round the 

 waggons all night, as I had no corn to give him, and 

 the Bushman declared there had been no lions about 

 here for years. 



About 2.30 A.M. I was awakened by my boy 

 January, who, in a stage whisper, announced to me : 

 "Sir, daar's en ding op de paard" (Sir, there's a thing 

 on the horse). Scarcely thinking it possible that it 

 could be a lion, but yet not knowing what other thing 

 could be "op de paard," I took my rifle and followed 



