FOX-HUNTING IN BECHUAN ALAND 119 



and into the biggest he went to ground, just in the 

 nick of time to save his brush. 



After a tew minutes' rest — for we were all, on this 

 warm African evening, hounds, men, and horses, 

 somewhat blown and desperately hot — hounds were 

 taken a little distance from the eaith, in the hope 

 that the jackal would bolt again. This is a common 

 practice at the Cape, and, as a general rule, if the 

 manoeuvre is executed thoroughly, and extreme quiet 

 observed, the jackal will presently decamp slyly, 

 when the run is taken up again. In this instance 

 our vulpine friend declined to be coaxed, and the 

 earth was stopped until digging materials could be 

 sent for. As this meant a long delay, most of us 

 turned our horses for Vryburg again. 



Next evening, November 1, the hounds were out 

 again. We found steinbok twice. First we had a 

 short, ringing gallop of fifteen minutes, and lost. 

 This was followed by a long draw and another brief 

 run. Losing this second steinbok, we quickly roused 

 yet another of these antelopes, which stood before us 

 capitally and over a good line for thirty-five minutes. 

 We were now pointing right away over the open 

 veldt, as if for the big salt-pan of Groot Chwaing, 

 and presently found ourselves, after a long west- 

 wardly curve, in a wild, rocky, shallow valley beyond 

 Zwartfontein. It was now darkening rapidly, and 

 hounds had to be whipped off. This was a capital 



