SPRINGBOK SHOOTING. 225 



of itself. This bok falls dead to the first-named 

 shot, and is at once secured and marked down. 



The mist now began to lift rapidly, and, as the 

 game around us was too disturbed to enable us to 

 do much more good at present, we ate some biltong 

 (dried meat) and bread, and took a soupje of Boer 

 brandy ; both welcome after a cold morning on the 

 veldt. We had now nearly an hour's leisure before 

 H. and the horses were to join us, and had time to 

 look around as we strolled quietly in the direction 

 of the farm. As the sun began to make his presence 

 felt the mist rolled away, and shortly Aurora 

 appeared in her most resplendent toilet. 



That sunrise on the karroo I shall not readily 

 forget. As the sun ascended in a perfect blaze of 

 colour pale blues and greens, and flaming reds and 

 yellows the vast expanse of open plains stretched 

 in limitless extent before us, till broken by the 

 dazzling horizon of the east. In every direction 

 around us we could distinguish the herds of spring- 

 bok grazing within a mile or two. The mountains 

 we had quitted yesterday rose solidly in a semicircle 

 behind us, springing from the plains in stern 

 magnificence, and tinted lovingly by the rising orb. 

 Presently, as the heat increased, the mirage danced 

 before us, presenting to our enchanted vision the 

 most curious effects. As we looked at Riet Fontein, 

 some three miles distant, we saw, standing in air 

 immediately above the farmhouse and buildings, an 

 exact counterpart of them, but inverted, with the 

 roof downwards. Turning in another direction, 

 groups of trees and lakes of water appeared, startling 

 in their semblance to reality, even to us, who knew 

 that the brown karroo was destitute of any moisture 



15 



