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the general wish and entered freely into his African experiences, 
which he described ina vivid and picturesque style, yet without the 
least approach to egotism or boasting. Mr. Oswell is, in fact, an 
excellent story-teller, putting his points well, and never becoming 
discursive. Not often, however, even to his immediate friends, is he 
so freely communicative as he was to the sympathetic audience who fully 
appreciated all that he had to tell them. 
On entering the house, the visitor found himself surrounded by 
horns andskulls, which, Mr. Oswell said, represented the entire antelope 
tribe of Africa. In pointing out the peculiar characteristics of some 
of them, he drew particular attention to a pair of fine straight tapering 
horns, which, viewed from either side, obscured each other ; 
he had not the least doubt that the animal which wore them, 
the oryx, was the fabulous unicorn. He also explained the feet 
of some kinds, showing that they were of great length where the land 
was swampy, and remarking that these antelopes were easily caught 
if driven to dry hard ground, being then tripped up by their own toes. 
Showing the way into the drawing room, he pointed to a pair of 
horns which belonged to a red and white ox, that stood over six feet 
in height. The points of them were 8 feet 9 inches apart, but, 
measured round their entire length, for they were most beautifully and 
symmetrically curved, they measured 14 feet. Though he would 
not presume to talk of natural history in the presence of gentle- 
men so well up in the science as those present ; yet he thought he might 
veuture to relate a curious fact which he had never seen published. 
It was for that purpose he had directed attention to the horns of the 
ox before them. The oxen of which that one was a specimen were to 
be seen in large numbers in the lake districts, where he saw that one 
plunging his head down into the long succulent grass, and tearing it 
up by huge mouthfuls. It was a domesticated animal, and, having 
* obtained possession of it, he started on his journey home with it ; but 
the grass becoming shorter in length, the animal became less capable 
of getting food, as the horns prevented it from putting its mouth to 
the ground. The result was that it got daily thinner and weaker, and 
he at last killed it and cut off the head. But this was the curious 
point he wished to illustrate : When he and his party first came upon 
these oxen, the Kaffirs who were with him asked the Chief where he 
got such monsters? ‘‘ Stole them from you,” was the reply. “ Never,” 
said the Kaffir; “we never had anything of that kind.” “ Don’t you 
i a a 
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