150 THE GREAT THIRST LAND. 



on account of the rarefication of the atmosphere. 

 This is quite a mistake in my experience, and Morris 

 complained to me of making the same error. 



Hearing some shots off to the right, I rode half 

 a mile in that direction, and witnessed a most de- 

 structive, I should say murderous, way of shooting. 

 On a spring-cart a conveyance not unlike an ex- 

 aggerated tax-cart were four Boers, each armed with 

 a rifle : between the horses' heads was a Kaffir, leading 

 them when required, and halting as directed. In front 

 of the butchers was a large drove of several hundred 

 spring-buck densely packed together, their distance 

 from the shooters being about four hundred yards. Into 

 this living phalanx these unfeeling monsters were keep- 

 ing up a steady fusilade. Their success was all that 

 such characters could desire, I regret to say. 



After leaving the Boers I found the game so wild 

 that I shot no more, although I must have seen many 

 thousand head of buck in the three hours that I was 

 absent from the wagons. 



Just after we commenced to treck, Morris took the 

 old pointer and one of the smooth-bore guns, and in 

 a quarter of an hour shot six or seven coran. These 

 are a splendid bird about the size of the hen caper- 

 cailzie, and are excellent eating : they lay fairly to 

 a dog, and require a lot of hitting. At night and 

 morning they call incessantly, invariably when doing 

 so being perched on the top of an ant-hill. At that 

 time they are difficult to approach nearer than within 

 eighty or ninety yards. 



Of this genus I have found four distinct species, the 

 largest and best being possessed of a beautiful chestnut- 

 brown plumage, but without bars on its wings : weight 



