376 LARGE GAME. CHAP. vm. 



As on the day before, we soon found the game. It 

 was a troop of five, and they were feeding on the face of 

 a not very steep hill, crowned with a flat top, for which 

 they made on discovering us. I allowed them to disappear 

 over the rise, and then followed, scrambling up as best I 

 could, and rather repenting of my rashness in thinking of 

 galloping over such horrible ground. Just before I reached 

 the table-land I gave my horse's bridle to Klaas, and 

 went forward on foot to see if they were still in sight. It 

 was lucky that I did so, for they were standing some two 

 hundred yards beyond looking back. Resting the rifle 

 on a rock, I fired, and one fell on the spot, the rest 

 making off" at full speed, and as soon as I could get my 

 horse I followed as hard as I could. They were heading 

 for the further end of the table-land, about a mile off, 

 nearly a quarter of which distance they had of start ; but 

 Monarch's long stride soon came into play, and at the end 

 of the first four hundred and fifty yards I found that I 

 was gaining rapidly, particularly on one that was lagging 

 and was already some way behind the rest. What exciting 

 work hard galloping is, both to horse and rider I Monarch 

 fully entered into the spirit of it, and required no urging, 

 while the antelopes did not seem to be pushing themselves ; 

 at any rate, they were going no faster than at first, and 

 as we neared the descent I was not twenty yards from the 

 hindmost one. For the first time using my spurs, I simul- 

 taneously cocked my rifle, and just as the antelope dis- 

 appeared over the rise, not five yards from me, I pulled 

 the trigger ; a sudden swerve, a feeling like descending 

 out of a blanket after being tossed too high and hitting 

 the ceiling, and I remember nothing more till I woke up 



