166 LAKGE GAME. chap. iii. 



was, seeing this, hesitated, then wheeled and pulled up 

 facing me, like a dismounted regiment of cavalry, and 

 ultimately, as I came on, galloped after their late fol- 

 lowers. It was now necessary for me to exert myself, 

 and anticipating no difficulty in heading an eland, I went 

 off at full speed to prevent its going far in the wrong 

 direction. The gnu, which had already made some way, 

 wheeled still more as they saw me alter my course, and 

 seemed bent upon retracing their steps, even if, as did 

 not appear unlikely, they should come into collision with 

 me in so doing. However, I was watching the zebra, 

 not them ; and as I noticed that they also displayed an 

 inclination to break back, I rode straight at them, the 

 gnu meanwhile cutting across me, not twenty yards in 

 front. It required fast galloping to accomphsh my pur- 

 pose, but a couple of shots helped to turn them ; and the 

 moment I saw them going up wind again I rode hard 

 right in behind them, and kept them going, so that they 

 shouldn't have time to thmk about again changing their 

 course. Tliis, however, was only successful for a short 

 time, and before we had gone far they broke back in 

 spite of me, it taking all my time and all my riding to 

 drive out the eland from among them ; and though I 

 succeeded in that, I could not turn her head in the 

 required direction till after going at full speed for nearly 

 a mile, which distressed my already tired horse so much 

 that only careful nursing enabled me to keep up with 

 the ground-covering trot of this young and active cow, 

 who seemed to be going quite at her ease. I could, of 

 course, have shot her, but, as I was still seven or eight 

 miles from camp, it would hardly have helped our men 



