196 NATURE AND SPORT IN SOUTH AFRICA 



some ancient, similarly exiled, hartebeest. He has 

 been turned out of the troop by the young bulls, as 

 old and worthless, and the days of his pride are gone. 

 He is the rearguard of the game that drank at the 

 river last night ; the rest are already far across the 

 plain, trekking for some safe pasturage many a mile 

 away. But now, softly; let us peep through the 

 screen of bush between us and the salt-pan. The 

 springbok are there, surely enough — there must be 

 two hundred of them scattered about the pan. The 

 air is translucent ; there is not a trace of mirage ; at 

 present you may watch the buck and their move- 

 ments perfectly. What a picture it is ! At this 

 moment you shall not find a fairer desert-scene south 

 of the Zambesi. Look through the glass, and you 

 may note how the rising sun casts the long shadow 

 of each dainty antelope far across the smooth white 

 sand. Out there to the right there is some fun going 

 on amongst that knot — " klompje " (a little clump) a 

 Boer would call it — of a dozen. Two young rams are 

 striking at each other. See ! Some whim has seized 

 the whole group, and they are leaping — leaping from 

 sheer frolic and pleasure. Arching their backs, 

 thrusting down their heads, elevating the curious 

 fan-like blaze of snowy hair that runs down the back, 

 and lies usually concealed, they spring sheer upward, 

 with the impetus of india-rubber balls, eight or ten 

 feet in air. The spring is made from all four feet 



