A WASH-BALL SEAT. 22Q 



ostriches, the whole led by what I will designate our 

 giraffes, now, at least, three hundred yards away, 

 the lengthened procession being whipped in by four 

 Griquas, riding as niggers generally do, all arms and 

 legs, and to be found anywhere between their horses' 

 cruppers and their ears. Still, marvellous as it may 

 appear, they get rapidly over the ground, and very 

 seldom come to grief. No more convincing proof than 

 this sight was wanting to inform us that no time was to 

 be lost if we wished to participate in the chase, so 

 simultaneously we quitted our shelter and made a 

 rush for our mounts. Fortunately for me I had taken 

 up two holes in my girth leathers when I dis- 

 mounted ; not so William, with the usual care- 

 lessness of a native, he had procrastinated this im- 

 portant duty, so his saddle only retained its place by 

 balance. 



I had quite enough to do to attend to my own 

 affairs, but that did not prevent me seeing, as I rode 

 up the side of the watercourse, my servant on his back 

 between his horse's legs, and the " pig-skin " reversed, 

 embracing his steed's belly. A ludicrous sight when 

 you have time to admire it, truly, but that was denied 

 me, although I gave one or two snorts of satisfaction 

 when I thought how my driver's pride would suffer 

 from his catastrophe. 



I had no fear but that I could outpace the Griquas, 

 for their horses possessed neither the quality nor 

 condition of mine, still the Basuto ponies that they 

 usually bestride are wonderfully quick and surefooted 

 in passing over irregular and rocky ground. Fourteen 

 hands is about the height of these multum in parvos, 

 but they have the barrels of dray-horses. As a rule 

 they are not pretty, but they can live upon anything, 

 and stand with impunity all the variations of climate 

 that can be experienced between two thousand and 

 five thousand feet above sea level. 



The giraffes had a start of quite four hundred yards 



