2 9 3 



THE HUNTER'S ARCADIA. 



flank. After taking his hide and such meat as was 

 desirable, we wandered onward further to the east, our 

 inducement to do so being that the spoor of several 

 oryx (gemsbok) led in that direction. Every sports- 

 man likes to add the horns of this noble beast to his 

 collection of trophies, for, independent of their great 

 beauty, this is the accepted animal from which our 

 fabled unicorn is taken. But the oryx was not to be 

 stalked, and Totty and I fruitlessly wandered on till 

 an hour before sundown, when we sat down upon 

 two fallen mimosas, and conversed upon our want of 

 success, and the probability that we should have better 

 luck on a future occasion. 



Sportsmen at home would sit side by side when 

 discussing such momentous questions, but we sat 

 vis-a-vis, for why ? it gave both our optics the control 

 of the distance beyond us ; for in this country it is 

 imperative to guard against your being stalked while 

 you are stalking. When the shadows began to 

 become so heavy and solid as to remind me that 

 a past day had to be added to the repertoire of my 

 memory, we started up together, and knocked the 

 ashes out of our pipes with the intention of hurrying 

 homewards. It is needless to say that I am an 



