156 EXPEDITION INTO [Chap. XIX. 



the Manimiferes, whom thus to meet, free on his 

 native plains, has fallen to the lot of few of the 

 votaries of the chase. Sailing before me with in- 

 credible velocity, his long swan-like neck keeping 

 time to the eccentric motion of his stilt-like legs — 

 his ample black tail curled above his back, and 

 whisking in ludicrous concert with the rocking of 

 his disproportioned frame, he glided gallantly along 

 " like some tall ship upon the ocean's bosom," and 

 seemed to leave whole leagues behind him at each 

 stride. The ground was of the most treacherous 

 description ; a rotten black soil overgrown with 

 long coarse grass, which concealed from view in- 

 numerable cracks and fissures that momentarily 

 threatened to throw down my horse. For the first 

 five minutes I rather lost than gained ground, and 

 despairing, over such a country, of ever diminishing 

 the distance, or improving my acquaintance with 

 this ogre in seven-league boots, I dismounted, and 

 had the satisfaction of hearing two balls tell roundly 

 upon his plank-like stern. But I might as well 

 have fired at a wall : he neither swerved from his 

 course, nor slackened his pace, and had pushed on 

 so far ahead during the time I was reloading, that 

 after remounting, I had some difficulty in even 

 keeping sight of him amongst the trees. Closing 

 again, however, I repeated the dose on the other 

 quarter, and spurred along my horse, ever and anon 

 sinking to his fetlock ; the giraffe now flagging at 

 each stride, until, as I was coming up hand over 

 hand, and success seemed certain, down I came 



