128 KLOOF AND KARROO. 



there was an abundance of this delicacy in the rocks 

 around, he was directed, with the Kaffir, to fill the 

 buckets a business, including the finding, of little 

 more than half-an-hour's labour while we others 

 rode a mile or two farther into the mountains. 

 Accordingly we continued our way for a couple of 

 miles, until we reached a part of the kloof resembling, 

 more nearly than anything I can think of, the 

 commencement of the wild pass of Glen Lyon in 

 Perthshire, where the lofty frowning hills on the 

 right-hand side slope steeply down to the river 

 beneath. Just as we entered upon this grand bit 

 of scenery, having emerged from a small mimosa 

 grove that fringed a dried-up river-bed between the 

 mountains, our host, with the word " rhebok " on his 

 lips, pointed suddenly to his left ; and less than a 

 hundred yards distant a troop of six grey antelopes, 

 rather taller and slimmer-looking than fallow deer, 

 after eyeing us for a second, bounded away up the 

 rough and precipitous mountain-side as only rhebok 

 and klipspringer can. On this day, as we had not 

 come out on shooting intent, only one of our 

 number, one of my companions, carried a rifle, and 

 he, unluckily, had lagged a little in the rear. By 

 the time we had hastily called him up, the rhebok 

 were quite 300 yards away, and although he quickly 

 dismounted and had three or four long shots, the 

 antelopes escaped untouched. It was marvellous 

 with what free smooth strides they sailed away 

 obliquely up the long stretch of mountain, here- 

 abouts covered with boulders, loose stones, and low 

 brush, and I suppose some 2,000 feet high, until at 

 length their diminishing forms vanished over the 

 mountain tops. Sorry as we were to have missed 



