382 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



Two days later we were again riding amongst the 

 hills, and had just entered a large opening, when I 

 espied two elands, a bull and a cow, standing in the 

 shade of a small tree about 400 yards distant. 

 Clarkson at once went for the bull, and as he was 

 much better mounted than I, I just followed at a 

 canter, not caring to distress my horse needlessly. 

 The elands stood watching my friend's approach 

 until he was within 200 yards of them, then, his 

 real character seeming all at once to strike them, 

 they wheeled suddenly round, and made off at a hard 

 trot. This, however, availed them but little, for soon 

 the pursuing steed, now urged to his utmost speed, 

 dashed up to within fifty yards of them. Then, 

 indeed, they broke into a gallop, each one taking his 

 own course, and my friend followed the bull. I had 

 a fine view of the chase, for, as the eland ran in a 

 semicircle, I was never very far distant. The bull 

 ran hard for his life, as most elands in this part of 

 Africa do, when not overburdened with fat. For 

 quite a mile, I think, he never broke from his gallop, 

 and as long as he galloped my friend could not pass 

 him, but just kept about twenty or thirty yards 

 behind him. Then, however, his race was run, for 

 directly he broke into a trot, the longer-winded horse 

 dashed past him. Clarkson did not at once shoot 

 him, but brought him back at a hard trot — the foam 

 flying in long silver threads from his mouth, as he 

 turned his head alternately from side to side — to where 

 I was standing, near the steep bank of a deep gully, 

 in which there were several pools of water ; then 

 cantering past him, and pulling in his horse, he fired 

 from the saddle as the eland trotted broadside past 

 him ; but the horse must have moved slightly as he 

 fired, for the bullet, instead of inflicting a mortal 



