162 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



early breakfast I again took the field, with my after- 

 riders and a spare horse. There was thunder and light- 

 ning on all sides, and I expected the day would set in 

 wet: it all passed over, however, with a few showers, 

 and the weather was delightfully cool. I lay behind 

 ant-hills, while my men, extending to the right and left, 

 endeavored to drive the game toward me. Late in the 

 day I bagged a fine old blesbolc : it was a family shot, 

 running at two hundred yards. I also shot a spring- 

 bok, and mortally wounded another ; both were very 

 long shots. 



The blesbok is one of the finest antelopes in the 

 world, and is allowed to be the swiftest buck in Africa. 

 He, nevertheless, attains very high condition, and at 

 this period v/as exceedingly fat. I was surprised and 

 delighted, with the exquisite manner in which his beau- 

 tiful colors are blended together. Nothing can exceed 

 the beauty of this animal. Like most other African 

 antelopes, his skin emitted a most delicious and power- 

 ful perfume of flowers and sweet-smelling herbs. A 

 secretion issues from between his hoofs which has like- 

 wise a pleasing perfume. 



The 3d was a charmingly cool day. At an early 

 hour in the morning I was visited by a party of Boers, 

 some of whom I had previously met. They were pro- 

 ceeding to hunt wildebeest and blesbok, and were mount- 

 ed, on mares, each of which was followed by a foal. 

 They requested me to join them in their "jag," but I 

 excused myself, preferring to hunt alone. Having par- 

 taken largely of my coffee, the Boers mounted. their 

 mares and departed, holding a southeasterly course. 

 As soon as they were out of sight I saddled up and rode 

 north, with two after-riders, to try for blesboks. I found 

 the country extremely pleasant to ride on. It resem- 



