208 HUNTING ADVENTURES. 



cone depressed at the apex, and surmounted by a round tower. 

 [t is also remarkable as being considerably higher tian the sur- 

 rounding mountains, with which the plains are bounded and inter- 

 sected. As we rode along, a balmy freshness pervaded the 

 morning air. We passed through herds of thousands of spring- 

 boks, with small herds of wildebeest scattered among them. I fired 

 two or three very long shots without success. Strydom, however, 

 was more fortunate. He fired into a herd of about a hundred 

 bucks at three hundred yards, and hit one fine old buck right in 

 the middle of the forehead, the ball passing clean through his 

 ekull. We hid him in a hole in the ground, and covered him 

 with bushes, and then rode en to our Hottentots, whom we found 

 waiting beside a small fountain in a pass formed by a' wide gap in 

 a low range of hills, situated between two extensive plains which 

 were thickly covered with game. I took up my position in a 

 bush of rushes in the middle of the pass, and remained there for 

 upward of eight hours, during which our boys were supposed to 

 be endeavoring to drive the game toward us. 



The Boer took up the best pass about a quarter of a mile to mj 

 right. Before we had been an hour at our passes, the boys drove 

 up four beautiful ostriches, which came and stood within fifty 

 yards of Strydom, but, alas ! he was asleep. About this time I 

 was busy trying to remembei and practice a childish amusement 

 which once delighted me as much as rifle-shooting namely, 

 making a cap of rushes, when, on suddenly lifting up my eyes, I 

 saw standing within eighty yards of me about a dozen beautiful 

 springboks, which were coming up to the pass behind me. I 

 snatched up my rifle, and, lying flat on my breast, sent a bullet 

 through the best buck in the troop, smashing his shoulder. He 

 ran about fifty yards, and fell dead. I unfortunately left him 

 lying exposed in the path, the consequence of which was that 

 three other troops of springboks, which were coming up as he 

 had come, were turned to the right about by his carcase. 



It was amusing to see the birds and beasts of prey assembling 

 to dispute the carcase with me. First came the common black and 

 white carrion crow, then the vultures ; the jackals knew the cry of 



