Horns 



Once in this, we thought, matters would be 

 plain sailing. The ravine, however, was by no 

 means easy work ; it was filled with loose brown 

 sand which proved heavy walking, and it zig- 

 zagged about in a most extraordinary manner. 

 Carefully as we proceeded we went astray, for on 

 looking over the edge, when we calculated we 

 had got low enough, the gazelle were nowhere 

 to be seen. I swept with the glasses every spot I 

 could get at. Not a trace. We knew they had 

 not crossed the ravine, as we should have seen 

 their trail. We climbed up out of the ravine and 

 stood on the plain again, and the riddle was solved. 

 Away to the right was a small depression in the 

 surface of the sand, and almost as it caught our 

 eyes a doe's head appeared on its farther side. 

 Another and another followed. A buck's head 

 appeared. I raised the rifle. It was not the 

 big one though. The does caught the move- 

 ment. They fronted round and looked at me 

 squarely ; then faced about and were off like 

 the wind. 



I had no eyes for them, however. Two other 

 does appeared. Where on earth was the buck ? 

 Suddenly to the left a yellow-brown shadow ap- 

 peared to shoot forward. He went like an arrow 

 for about 30 yards in a series of magnificent 

 bounds. Then stopped and half turned to look. 

 That halt was fatal. As he rose in the leap that 

 was to recommence the flight for safety, my 



205 



