SOME COWARDLY BRUTES DONE FOR. 205 



deep plum-red, with very long forked tail, the bird 

 itself being slightly larger in size than the turtle-dove. 

 If I should live to return, I hope it will grace some 

 day a case of rare specimens from various other distant 

 climes that I wot of. 



Crossing a ridge of loose stone I came upon an unex- 

 pected scene, a cow battling with three hyaenas for the 

 life of her calf. The little one was between her legs, 

 and yet with the greatest adroitness she faced wherever 

 the point of danger appeared most imminent ; but the 

 odds were all in favour of the assailants, and in spite of 

 her strong maternal affection it was only a matter of 

 time for her to be deprived of the defenceless progeny 

 she loved so well, unless assistance came to her aid. 



Springing off the back of my horse, for I was within 

 forty yards of the combatants, I knocked over one of 

 the marauders with each barrel, and after a short but 

 sharp bout, Bob and Bonte had pinned the other, to 

 whom a bullet was given as a quiet as. These were all 

 of the common striped species, formidable only to very 

 young, or sick and worn- out-by-age animals. 



There is a very pretty little hyaena to be found up in 

 these localities, called by the natives " aard-wolf/' and 

 by the colonists " strand wolf; " it is about the size of 

 a jackal, possesses a bright fawn-coloured coat, hand- 

 somely marked with black lines. Although so small, 

 they do great damage to sheep and goats, and at times, 

 assembling together to the number of a dozen, will not 

 then scruple to attack an ox. This animal must not be 

 confused with the aard-vark, which is an ant-eater. 



Ee turning to the wagon at noon I found dinner pre- 

 pared, and my acquaintances of last night anxiously 

 looking forward to my arrival as necessary before they 



