114 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



" herds," bat with " one vast herd" of springboks; far 

 as the eye could strain the landscape was alive with 

 thenn, until they softened down into a dim red mass of 

 living creatures. 



To endeavor to form any idea of the amount of ante- 

 lopes which I that day beheld were vain ; but I have, 

 nevertheless, no hesitation in stating that some hund- 

 reds of thousands of springboks were that morning with- 

 in the compass of my vision. On reaching the encamp- 

 ment of the Boers, I out-spanned, and set about cutting 

 up and salting my venison : the Boers had likewise been 

 out with their " roers," and shot as many as they could 

 carry home. Old Sweirs acknowledged that it was a 

 very fair " trek-bokken," but observed that it was not 

 many when compared with what he had seen. " You 

 this morning," he remarked, " behold only one flat cov- 

 ered with springboks, but I give you my v/ord that I 

 have bidden a long day's journey over a succession of 

 flats covered with them, as far as I could see, as thick 

 as sheep standing in a fold." I spent the following two 

 days with the Boers. Each morning and evening we 

 rode out and hunted the springboks, killing as many as 

 we could bring home. The vast armies of the spring- 

 boks, however, did not tarry long in that neighborhood ; 

 having quickly consumed every green herb, they pass- 

 ed away to give other districts a benefit, tlius leaving 

 the Boers no alternative but to strike their tents, and 

 remove with their flocks and herds to lands where they 

 might find pasture. 



On tht! morning of the 31st I left this periodical 

 stream, whose name was " Rhinoceros Pool," and held 

 on for Beer Vley, which T reached in about eight hours. 

 Our march was a very hot one, across a desolate bar 

 ren country destitute of water. The country, though 



