402 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



saw the beautiful antelope standing at bay behind a 

 bush facing the dog. I now made sure he was mine 

 and ran towards him, but before I could get a clear 

 shot he saw me, and, breaking away again, went off at 

 a great pace, making for some thick bush on ahead. 

 Thinking that the dog would bring him to bay again, 

 I ran to the waggons, which I now saw approaching, 

 and saddled up my horse. It was all to no purpose, 

 however, for the dog had left him, and after follow- 

 ing his spoor till dark I had to give him up. At 

 daylight the following morning, after having in- 

 spanned and started the waggons, I saddled up my 

 favourite horse, " Bob," and rode out by myself in 

 search of gemsbuck, having had proof positive that 

 there were some of these animals about. 



Soon after leaving the waggons I came across a 

 hartebeest and a tsessebe antelope, two old bulls that, 

 I think, had struck up an acquaintance. Shortly 

 afterwards I sighted a small herd of gemsbuck, whose 

 long, straight horns, heavy though symmetrical 

 bodies, and long bushy tails, there was no mistaking. 

 There were eight of them altogether, though only 

 three of them seemed to be full-grown animals. 

 After a sharp burst I put a bullet into the best cow, 

 and then galloping past her, turned her away from 

 the others, and drove her for several miles towards 

 the course taken by the waggons. Before cutting 

 the spoor, however, she came to a halt and would 

 not go any farther, and I had to shoot her. Though 

 full-grown in point of size she was still a young cow, 

 and her horns, which measured 3 feet i inch, would 

 have grown longer. However, she was my first 

 gemsbuck, and it was with a feeling of intense 

 satisfaction that I cut off her beautifully marked head 

 and thick bushy tail, which are amongst the most 



