A HERD OF WILD HOGS. 163 



bled a well-kept lawn. Troops of graceful springbok 

 and blesbok were to be seen cantering right and left, 

 and large herds of black wildebeests in every direction, 

 now charging and capering, and now reconnoitering. 

 I took up positions on the plain behind the ant-hills. In 

 the forenoon I wounded one blesbok, and late in the day 

 I made a fine double shot, knocking over two old bles- 

 boks right and left, at a hundred and a hundred and 

 fifty yards. I also shot one springbok. While "gral- 

 loching" a buck, one of the Boers rode up to me to say 

 that his brother had wounded a wildebeest which stood 

 at bay on the plain, and his ammunition being expend- 

 ed, he would feel obliged by ray coming to his assist- 

 ance. I accordingly accompanied the Boer to where 

 his brother stood sentry over the wounded bull, when I 

 lent him my rifle, with which he finished his bull with 

 a bullet in the forehead. 



On the following day I hunted to the northeast of 

 my camp, and made a fine shot at a blesbok, knock- 

 ing him over at a hundred and fifty yards. Returning 

 to camp in a low-lying grassy vley, I started a herd of 

 " vlacke varckc," or wild hogs. The herd consisted of 

 seven half-grown young ones and three old ones, one 

 of which carried a pair of enormous tusks, projecting 

 eight or nine inches beyond his lip. Being well mount- 

 ed and the ground favorable, I at once gave chase, and 

 was soon at their heels. My horse was " The Gray." 

 I selected the old boar for my prey, and immediately 

 separated him from his comrades. After two miles of 

 sharp galloping, we commenced ascending a consider- 

 able acclivity, when I managed to close with him, and 

 succeeded in turning his head toward my camp. He 

 now reduced his pace to a trot, and regarded me with 

 a most malicious eye, his mouth a mass of foam. Ho 



