AN UNLUCKY DAY. 157 



but mountain tops, some peaked, some serrated, 

 others of the broad flat table shape so common to 

 South Africa. It was a glorious morning, and the 

 clear crisp air for it was yet spring-time at the 

 Cape the blue vault of space, and the grand 

 panorama of hill scenery billowing around us, all 

 appealed strongly to that sense of the beautiful, which 

 I suppose every man, in some degree, slight though 

 it may be, possesses. Having settled our plan of 

 action, and noticed how the wind lay a matter of 

 vital importance in dealing with the marvellously 

 keen-scented game of South Africa, and indeed every 

 other wild country we descended the mountain on 

 the other side, bearing right-handed for a nek or 

 opening between the hills. Reaching this nek we 

 looked to our weapons, and then stole cautiously 

 along for some two hundred yards over rough ground, 

 covered with long coarse grass, until we came to a 

 turn of the mountain. Rounding this turn, we came 

 suddenly upon a reddish-coloured antelope that was 

 grazing apparently alone some sixty yards away. 



The rooi or red rhebok, for such it was, was 

 away like lightning, almost as soon as we set eyes 

 on it ; and although we fired simultaneously, we 

 were not quick enough, and the antelope had gained 

 the shelter of some dense bush, and we never looked 

 upon it again. Misfortune number one ! This was 

 the only buck we got within range of throughout 

 that day, although we sighted others. Doubtless, 

 if we had had Igneese, our Kaffir hunter, he would 

 have somehow got us within fair shot of the rhebok ; 

 for these people, from centuries of practice, have much 

 finer instincts in tracking and finding game, than as 

 a rule is to be found in the average white man ; 



