288 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



On the 15th I was occupied during the morning in 

 stuffing the head of the sable antelope, after which 1 

 rode forth with two after-riders, and, holding a north- 

 erly course, skirted the range of hills beneath which we 

 were encamped. I soon reached a gorge in the hills, 

 through which I rode, and at its upper extremity dis- 

 covered springs of water forming a little stream. In a 

 basin in the hill side opposite this little stream I ob- 

 served a rattling old buck roan antelope or bastard 

 gemsbok standing under the shade of some young trees, 

 the sun being extremely powerful. I first endeavored 

 to stalk in upon him, but, finding that the ground would 

 not admit of that, I laid a plot for him. Guessing from 

 the lay of the land what course he was most likely to 

 take, I instructed Ruyter to give me about twenty 

 minutes to steal forward, and then to endeavor to move 

 him toward me. Before, however, I could gain the point 

 I wished, an eddy in the breeze apprised the roan an- 

 telope of my proximity, when he instantly started to 

 pass a shoulder of the mountain opposite which I al- 

 ready was. As I was screened by some thorn-trees, 

 I made a run to save the day. When the buck halted, 

 I likewise halted; and when he ran, I also ran ; thus, 

 when he halted the second time, and looked down to 

 see what had disturbed him, I had got within two hund- 

 red yards, and was standing in position, with my rifle 

 steady on a branch of a thorn-tree. Giving it six inch- 

 es of elevation, I fired, and the bullet caught him in 

 the center of the hollow behind the shoulder, and rest- 

 ed in the hide on his opposite side. Arching his back 

 and bounding high, the rock-loving old roan antelope 

 started forward, and was instantly concealed from my 

 view by an abrupt rocky ridge. Having loaded, I in- 

 spected the spoor. Large blotches of his life-blood 



