210 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



a herd of zebras and brindled gnoos ; next a sounder cA 

 wild boar; next a troop of giraffes; and, close to tha 

 vley where I intended to halt, I wounded a koodoo, 

 which left a bloody spoor, that I did not choose to fol- 

 low. The vley to which I had been trusting proved 

 dry. We outspanned here for an hour, however, and 

 then held round the westeru extremity of this fine 

 mountain range; and as the sun went down, I halted 

 my wagons on its south side, opposite the mouth of a 

 bold and well-wooded ravine, which contained a strong 

 fountain. On the march I rode ahead of my wagons 

 on the spoor of two old bull buffaloes, which our wagon- 

 whips had started; these had gone out of my course, 

 so I did not follow far. Returning, I came to a black 

 rhinoceros, which I wounded, but did not get. As I 

 neared the ravine where I intended to halt, I stalked 

 in close upon a second black rhinoceros, which, on re- 

 ceiving two deadly shots, charged madly forward and 

 subsided in the dust. A few minutes after firing at 

 Borele I was following a troop of pallahs close under 

 the green, rocky-mountain, when, lo! a herd of the love- 

 ly sable antelope caught my attention. These were 

 quietly browsing on a shoulder of the mountain among 

 the green trees far, far above me. I instantly threw 

 off my leathers, and proceeded to stalk in upon tliem. 

 An old doe detected me, however, and, instantly sound- 

 ing the alarm, the herd, which consisted of eight — three 

 coal-black bucks and five does — dashed off, and took 

 through a wild, rocky ravine. 



As it was too late in the day to follow them further, 

 I turned my face toward my horses, which I had left at 

 the base of the mountain; and, straining my eyes along 

 the level forest beneath me to seek my wagons, which 

 were now due, I detected them far out Irom tho 



