ON THE COTTON PLAINS 151 



Of course it was not such a paradise as held no alarms, 

 for that very moment a strange odour filled my nostrils, 

 and my mother started up, with twitching nose and cocked 

 ears, as two lank grey forms halted suddenly, a field's 

 length away, in an open space in the low scrub. A moment 

 later I was flying after her, as she leaped scudding across 

 the plain, bounding into the air at every few strides. Oh 

 the exhilaration of that first wild rush over the flying brown 

 earth ! We left the scrub jungle far behind, and, crossing 

 a wide dry ndla at reduced speed, on a sudden wheeled 

 and halted ; and I trotted with dilated nostrils and cocked 

 tail to my mother's side. She bent a swift look of pride 

 on me. 



" Shdbdsh, little one, the fleetest and sturdiest of all 

 I have borne ! Did skulking wolf delude himself with 

 thoughts of an easy prey ? " So saying, she led the way 

 towards a large herd of our kind, who were scattered over 

 open ground, not far from a field of tall green cotton ; 

 some lying drowsily ruminating, others capriciously grazing 

 or moving slowly about, while one or two does gazed pene- 

 tratingly down wind. On the edge of the cotton field stood 

 one of whom I had not yet seen the like. Whereas we 

 were sombre yellow-brown creatures, this one was glossy 

 black black with pure white belly and throat. Moreover, 

 l n g gnarled, spiral horns sprung from his head, and ended 

 in sharp points, and, as he turned and paced with lordly 

 mien towards us, his horns laid back over his haunches, 

 nose disdainfully in air, and tail curled up over his back in 

 the arrogance of his pride, I knew that I looked on the lord 

 of the herd the finest of our race. 



As he passed us by superciliously, my mother whispered, 

 " Your father, ray dear, a fine fellow doubtless, but foolish, 

 headstrong, and reckless, as are most of his sex. What he 

 would do, or how he would fare without us, his wives, to 

 keep a watch on prowling enemies, I know not. Look at 

 him now ! " this as my parent dashed out from the herd 



