84 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



ran several hundred yards, wliisking his long white tail 

 as if all was right, and suddenly rolled over in full ca- 

 reer. His skin had a delicious smell of the grass and 

 wild herbs on which these animals lie and feed. On 

 proceeding to my wagon, I found all my men asleep. 

 Having gralloched the wildebeest, we bore him bodily 

 to the wagon on the " lechtezuit," which is a bar of 

 hard wood used in greasing the wagon wheels, when I 

 immediately set about curing the head, it being a very 

 fine one. 



On the following morning Cobus returned, having 

 found my two horses. While taking my breakfast, I 

 observed a gentleman approaching on horseback ; this 

 was Mr. Paterson, an officer of the 91st, a detachment 

 of which was then quartered at Colesberg. Lieutenant 

 Borrow, a brother officer of inine, had intrusted mo 

 with the care of a rifle which he was sending to Mr. 

 Paterson, and, as I had been a long time on the road, 

 he had now come to look after it. He was a keen 

 sportsman, and I had much pleasure in meeting so 

 agreeable a person in the wilderness. Having joined 

 me in my rough breakfast with a true hunter's appe- 

 tite, we rode forth together to look for the wildebeest I 

 had wounded in the morning, expecting to find him 

 dead. On reaching the ground, we found five small 

 herds of wildebeests charging about the plain, and for 

 a long time could not discover the wounded one ; at 

 length I perceived an old bull with his head drooping, 

 which I at once pronounced to be my friend. On ob- 

 serving him, we dismounted and watched him for a 

 short time. The others inclined to make off, but seem- 

 ed unwilling to leave him. Being now convinced that 

 this was the wildebeest we sought, we determined to 

 give him chase, and try to ride into him ; but, just as 



