HAS HIS PONIES STOLEN. 313 



hollow bullet from an express rifle, so I waited, hoping that 

 they might feed a little nearer. Finding my feet becoming 

 numbed with the cold, I determined to risk a shot, so making 

 a rest of my soft hat and putting up the two hundred yards 

 sight, I aimed high and fired at a fine buck, standing nearly 

 broadside on. He was evidently hit with the first barrel, and 

 the second bullet passed just over his back, but he went off 

 well, going so as to pass near where we had left the horses and 

 dog ; I ran as fast as I could, shouting to Symonds to let the 

 dog go, but on our leaving him he had lain down and gone to 

 sleep, leaving the horses, which were fortunately tied together, 

 to look after themselves, and it was only when I was close by 

 that he woke, and seemed to take in the state of affairs when 

 it was too late. I mounted, and calling the dog galloped in 

 the direction which the antelope had taken, sighting him at 

 last half a mile away, and managed to get the dog to see him 

 also, when away he went, I keeping as near as I could on my 

 hairy pony. The start given to the antelope was too long a 

 one, but the dog went up fast, as the buck was evidently 

 crippled, and very soon he was alongside, barking but not 

 daring to catch hold. I gained slowly, and when within two 

 hundred yards I jumped off and fired twice, but missed, and 

 had a very long gallop before I got near again, hitting him, 

 however, this time with a bullet in the hind quarters, which tore 

 one ham nearly to pieces. It had been a gallop of about four 

 miles, and my new purchase had gone well, being by no means 

 fast but lasting splendidly. 



Fishel returned on the sixth day, but astonished us very 

 much by arriving on a miserable rat of an Indian pony leading 

 another, both of his having been stolen by Indians on the night 



