THE BIG GAME OE AFRICA 



water hole a little farther to our left. As we approached 

 it, we saw from the number of tracks that we could easily 

 make out in and around the shallow water, that there must 

 have been hundreds of oryx around the place during the 

 last few days. As it was utterly impossible for us to find 

 the freshest tracks which led away from the pool, we 

 started off in a northwesterly direction, following a small 

 valley, jammed in between two rather high and steep 

 ridges of wooded hills. After having gone along for 

 another twenty minutes, looking all the time for fresh 

 tracks, we heard a noise as that of galloping zebras, and 

 looking up we saw at a distance of some one hundred and 

 fifty yards a herd of from fifty to sixty oryx, which swiftly 

 galloped away at a right angle to our line of march. They 

 were racing down from the escarpment to our right and 

 evidently intending to run up on the opposite one. 



" Being always ready for any emergency like this, I 

 aimed quickly, although the gun bearer said it was useless 

 to try to hit the animals at such a distance. I fired three 

 shots at two large bulls before they disappeared behind 

 some bush. We took up the chase ' on the run,' and soon 

 found that both animals had been slightly wounded. As 

 fast as we could we ran after the antelopes up to the top 

 of the escarpment. As we carefully peered above the 

 highest stones, we saw the herd slowly walking off at a 

 distance, switching their long tails, while the wounded 

 animals lingered behind. They were not more than about 

 one hundred yards away from us, as we emerged from over 

 the crest. Quicker than I can describe it I fired again with 

 the .405 Winchester with the result that both animals went 

 down. One of them was some thirty yards nearer to us 



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