HUNTING THE KOODOO. 375 



mosa is waggishly called by the Boers " vyacht um bige," or 

 wait-a-bit thorns, as they continually solicit the passing tra- 

 veller not to be in a hurry ; if he disregards which request, 

 the probability is that he leaves a part of his shirt or trowsers 

 in their possession. Here and there were hills covered with 

 adamantine rocks, through which, however, there was an 

 abundance of excellent grass and fine green bushes. In short, 

 it was just the country to suit the tastes of the rock-loving 

 koodoos. Having proceeded some miles, we discovered fresh 

 tracks of a troop of them at the foot of one of the ranges of 

 hills. We then crossed to the ridge, still finding tracks, and 

 the country becoming more and more likely. 



Suddenly, on raising our eyes, we saw standing on the hill 

 side, within three hundred yards of us, five buck koodoos, 

 four of which were tearing old fellows carrying extremely 

 fine horns ; and majestic as they were, the elevated position 

 which they occupied imparted to them a still more striking 

 appearance. We galloped towards them, on which they 

 bounded higher up the rocky hill, and stood for a few seconds 

 looking at us. 



I had seen many sights thrilling to a sportman, but few to 

 surpass what I then beheld. I think an old buck koodoo, 

 when seen standing broadside on, is decidedly one of the 

 grandest-looking antelopes in the world. They now broke 

 into two lots, the two finest bucks holding to the left, and to 

 these we gave chase. They led us over the most terrific 

 ground for horses that can be imagined. It consisted of a 

 mass of large sharp adamantine pieces of rock ; even the 

 koodoos themselves made bad weather of it. Cobus, on this 

 occasion, rode in a manner which astonished me. He was 

 mounted on " The Cow," which steed, having in its youth led 

 an unrestrained life, as most Cape horses do, in the rugged 

 mountains of the Hantam, bounded along the hill side in a 

 style worthy of a klipspringer. A flat of considerable extent, 

 covered with tall bushes, intervened between us and a long 



