CHAP. in. ELAND. 175 



The instant I reached my after-rider I exchanged 

 horses with him, and telling him to keep me in sight, I 

 started away in pursuit. But, now that the chase was a 

 stern one, and the ground favoured the antelopes, I no 

 longer rode with a slack rein, so that, though I made the 

 most of my time consistently with sparing my horse, some 

 time elapsed before I caught sight of some of the game 

 heading down the gentle but stone-covered declivity 

 which extended for five or six miles, and ended in the 

 commencement of the thorn country. 



So long as the herd had been together it had been 

 difficult to pick out the finest animals, but now that they 

 were scattered, and therefore in full view, and I had little 

 chance of securing more than one, it became advisable 

 to take some pains in selecting it. Fortune, however, 

 favoured me ; for on pulling up and scanning each group, 

 I saw that among those furthest to the left was an enor- 

 mously large bull, his withers standing nearly two feet 

 above the back of the one next him ; so without further 

 hesitation I started at the angle that I judged would 

 bring me to them. 



I did not ride fast, for the ground was covered with 

 large irregular stones, over which, however, the elands, 

 big bull and all, went at an astonishingly fast pace. Half 

 an hour's steady galloping brought me within twenty 

 yards of them, and then jumping off, I let fly at him, and 

 heard the soft thud of the ball as it entered without 

 meeting with a bone. My horse, unfortunately, though 

 in other respects good, was rather gun-shy, and generally 

 plunged back at the report, and so a slight delay occurred 

 before I could remount it; but as the few cows in the 



