A SPLENDID SIGHT 63 



and roan in the open flats, and my boys saw a 

 sable bull, the tracks of which we followed up 

 north-east to a stream called the Quitobo, where it 

 was decided to form a flying camp. There were 

 a good many roan and reed buck in this country, 

 a few duiker were seen, and one little antelope that 

 looked like a " stein buck." 



The 16th of August was a red-letter day, as 

 it brought me my first sable, and the following is 

 copied from my diary of this day : 



" I left Quitobo camp for the main camp on the 

 Rumelia stream at eight o'clock in the morning 

 and ahead of my caravan. While on the road 

 I saw and stalked a solitary bull roan. The 

 animal, however, was warned of my presence 

 by two reed buck, which whistled so continuously 

 that the roan galloped off. On my way back to 

 the path I saw some twenty or thirty sable ante- 

 lope. The herd were grazing in open grass land 

 and looked a splendid sight, with the sun glinting 

 on the bright chestnut coats of the cows and the 

 deep black skin of the one big sable bull. It at 

 once struck me how much brighter in colour the 



o 



coats of these cow sable were than those of the 

 ordinary sable, and how much longer the horns 

 they carried. The horns of the bull sable looked 

 immense, although this animal was the farthest 

 of all the herd from me. The roan which had 

 originally been stalked and lost had run towards 

 the sable, and it was evident that they were 

 alarmed ; for the cows were looking around 

 anxiously, and even the bull had ceased to feed. 

 To add to the drwjrer of rnv nresonce bcinj? 



