168 A WARY KOODOO. 



these was that of the koodoo, by far the most noble 

 and beautiful, though by no means the largest ante- 

 lope in Africa ; and it was not long before I found 

 myself unexpectedly within a hundred and twenty 

 yards of five of them. One was a fine buck, who, 

 with his grey hide beautifully striped with white, 

 and his large spiral horns, stood in the midst of four 

 females, all ranging full on in line, and gazing intently 

 in the direction from which I was coming. We saw 

 each other almost at the same instant, and one of the 

 does turned sharply round and disappeared. It was 

 all but a matter of a second to draw a bead on the 

 chest of the fine buck and fire. He fell where he 

 stood ; and as the others turned to fly, I took a 

 snap-shot at one of them, but it ran away as if un- 

 touched. 



I was much pleased at obtaining this fine specimen 

 of a male koodoo, as I ha(J looked forward with more 

 anxiety to killing these animals than almost any other 

 in Africa. Having cut off the head, I handed it over 

 to the native who accompanied me, and followed up 

 the track of the female. A walk of a few yards 

 showed she had been hit. Large red drops of blood 

 lay in her wake, and we hurried on. I soon observed 

 her walking quietly along about fifty yards in front of 

 me, and it required the greatest caution to keep with- 

 in that distance of her unperceived, till she should 

 turn one way or the other, and offer a more favour- 

 able shot. At last she did pull up, turning broadside 

 on to me, but with all the cunning of these wary 

 animals guarding her entire shoulder with a stout 

 tree close to which she stood. I took a steady aim at 



