166 ASTONISHING A MAKOLOLO. 



gun, and went in quest of sport. The hills have left 

 us now, and the country is flat for miles inland, with 

 here and there small patches of wood and an odd 

 swamp. I had walked a long way without seeing 

 anything, and as it was getting late, was about return- 

 ing, when I saw a beautiful antelope feeding near a 

 narrow strip of swamp. A careful stalk brought me 

 to within sixty yards of him, and I fired the rifle, but 

 to my surprise the animal ran away apparently un- 

 touched. He entered the swamp, and was lost to 

 sight in the long reeds ; but he soon reappeared on 

 the opposite side, and pulled up to look round. I 

 considered the distance to be about two hundred 

 yards, and adjusting the sight of my rifle to that 

 range, took a steady shot, and to my delight, and the 

 astonishment of the Makololo who accompanied me, 

 he fell in his tracks. On examining the antelope, I 

 found the first shot had hit him with good elevation, 

 but too far back, while the last had passed through 

 both shoulders. He was in splendid condition, and a 

 distinctly different animal from any I had hitherto 

 seen ; height at shoulder three feet four inches, spiral 

 horns twenty-one inches, slightly curved forward, skin 

 of a greyish colour, and covered with white spots, 

 belly white. 



It was now late, so taking the head I returned to 

 camp, and started early next morning for the skin and 

 meat. On my return with these, I was thoroughly 

 disgusted to find tlmt one of the Makololos had 

 knocked off the horns from the head, thus spoiling 

 this beautiful specimen of what I was inclined to be- 

 lieve would have turned out a new antelope. Shortly 



