CHAP. VIII. ANECDOTES OF ANTELOPES. 3G3 



However, I did not do so that evening, for I did not care to 

 go back empty-handed. The only difficulty was which to 

 choose among so many, but chance solved that for me, for 

 a cow, walking up to within five yards of the bush, would 

 in another second have discovered me had I not shot her. 

 The other time was after what I believe was the most 

 creditable stalk I ever made. A large herd was scattered 

 over a couple of acres, some feeding and others lying 

 down, and a few standing motionless in the shade of the 

 thorn-trees. They were at the bottom of a gentle slope, 

 on the top of which I was, in a perfectly open place, with- 

 out a tree between us, and the grass being burnt clean 

 off except where they were actually feeding, the ground 

 was quite bare. I wriggled, serpentine, for fully half a 

 mile, taking advantage of every stone and httle ant-heap, 

 watching intently every fresh movement, more especially 

 of those whose heads were towards me, luitil at last, with 

 my hands and wrists all bleeding from the sharp stumps 

 of the burnt grass, and my knees and elbows completely 

 skinned, I found myself close to this great herd of upwards 

 of a hundred gnu, the nearest of which was barely twenty 

 yards distant. Much surprised at my success, and having 

 only once before, and that many years previously, been so 

 close to them, I lay for upwards of an hour watching their 

 m.ovements. A cow and a yearhng calf particularly 

 attracted my notice. The old lady was lying down, peace- 

 fully chewing the cud, but the young one wanted her to 

 get up, and kept butting at her, until, wearied by its 

 failure, it would walk away, though on looking round and 

 seeing that its mother was not following it, it would 

 return and repeat its unavailing attempts. Presently a 



