the first time that we got among the impala and saw 

 them in numbers. There is no more beautiful and 

 fascinating sight than that of a troop of impala or 

 springbuck really on the move and jumping in earnest. 

 The height and distance that they clear is simply 

 incredible. The impala's greater size and its delicate 

 spiral horns give it a special distinction ; the spring- 

 buck's brilliant white and red, and the divided crest 

 which fans out along the spine when it is excited, are 

 unique. But who can say which of the many beautiful 

 antelopes is the most beautiful ? The oldest hunter 

 will tell you of first one, then another, and then 

 another, as they come to mind, just as he saw them 

 in some supreme unforgettable moment ; and each at 

 that moment has seemed quite the most beautiful 

 animal in the world. 



It is when they are jumping that the impala are seen 

 at their best. No one knows what they really can do, 

 for there are no. fences in their country by which to 

 judge or guess, and as they run in herds it is practically 

 impossible ever to find the take-off or landing-place 

 of any single animal. Once when hunting along the 

 Wenhla Mohali River we managed to turn seven of 

 them into an old run ending in a rocky gorge ; but 

 suspecting danger they would not face the natural 

 outlet, and turning up the slope cleared a barrier of 

 thick thorn scrub and escaped. When we looked at 

 the place afterwards we found that the bushes were 

 nine feet high. We were not near enough to see 

 whether they touched the tops or cleared them 

 all we were sure of was that they did not hesitate for 



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