164 LARGE GAME. chap. iir. 



latter of whom notably have the bump of destruction 

 largely developed, while one-half of the hides thus obtained 

 would rot for want of carriage. Unfortunately, they are 

 also slow breeders, rarely, if ever, producing calves on two 

 consecutive years, and not always each alternate year. 

 July and August are the months, but one rarely sees a 

 third part of a herd with calves rimning. It is the only 

 time that they are in any way dangerous, and then only 

 to dogs, the cows especially impahng them on their long 

 straight horns m defence of their young. I had once 

 two of my dogs killed in that manner ; they were trained 

 and accustomed to run into a herd of buffalo and seize 

 hold of the smallest, which was not uncommonly a good- 

 sized beast, and to keep it stationary and bellowing for 

 help until released by some of the old ones coming to 

 its assistance, and thus afford a shot to the hunter if he 

 was up in time ; and one day coming across a herd of 

 eland with young calves, they both dashed in, but before 

 they could catch a single one they were mobbed by the 

 cows, and in a few seconds gored to death. 



I have personally ridden down eland on several occa- 

 sions, though, as they are the slowest antelope in Africa, 

 it is no great feat to do so. Sometimes a young cow in 

 low condition will give one a real gallop, there being much 

 the same difference between it and a corpulent old bull as 

 between a wild young Highland two-year-old, able with 

 ease to clear a five-barred gate, and a stall-fed ox fit for 

 Smithfield. 



One of the longest chases I ever had was after such 

 a cow. I had been out after oryx, had ridden a wiry- 

 old cow to a standstill after a good deal of very hard 



