146 



ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



ranges ; while to the south a very remarkable light- 

 colored rock, in the form of a dome, shot high above the 

 level of the surrounding forest. 



The next day, at dawn, I rode down the river side 

 to seek serolomootlooques, and ordered my wagons to 

 follow in a couple of hours. After riding a few miles, 

 I observed a serolomootlooque of surpassing beauty 

 standing on the top of the opposite bank of the river ; 

 he stood with his breast to me, and from the broad belt 

 of reeds on this side of the water it was impossible to 

 get nearer than a hundred yards of him. Taking a 

 deliberate aim, I fired olT-hand, and heard the ball tell 

 upon him. Here the river was deep, requiring swim- 

 ming, and I had fears of the crocodiles. I sent the 

 Bushman across, however, on horseback, who imme- 

 diately discovered blood, and presently came upon the 

 buck, and found his fore-arm smashed in the shoulder. 

 I went over, and, starting the buck in the cover, put a 

 bullet in his ribs. He then got into some thick reeds, 

 when I took up a position on one side, and ordered Ruy- 

 ter to beat up the cover. The buck broke near me, 

 when I sent a third bullet right through and through 

 his shoulder ; and the tough old buck still scorning to 

 fall, I quickly fired my other barrel, and most unluck- 

 ily cut his lovely horn off" at the base. The buck now 

 charged headlong into a thick bush, and died. His 

 head, before I destroyed it, was perhaps the finest along 

 the banks of the Limpopo ; the horns were of extraordi- 

 nary length, and had a most perfect set and tarn. 



We now swam our steeds back to the saddlery, and 

 presently overtook the wagons. I deposited my dam- 

 aged trophy, and, mounting fresh steeds, rode once mora 

 ahead. I was not ten minutes away from the \\ apona 

 when I started another serolomootlooque, a first-rate old 



