A BEAUTIFUL KOODOO. 381 



thing at the best of times, and especially in a warm 

 climate. 



Abundant evidences of the late visits of elephants 

 were to be found in every direction, and as I surmised 

 that they were not distant, I thought I would take the 

 trouble to look them up, but this fever is a fearful 

 curse, it enervates the system so, that resist it as much 

 as you choose, and resolve as frequently as you like not 

 to give in, you still discover yourself making excuses for 

 avoiding exertion in spite of all your resolutions. 



I rode up one of the coppies some distance, then left 

 the mare in charge of one of the men, and taking the 

 other with me, clambered round to a more inaccessible 

 portion to watch the gambols of a troop of the graceful 

 little' grey monkeys so common in this part of the world. 

 They are certainly a wonderful burlesque on the human 

 race ; deprive them of their tails, and they would be 

 perfect imitations. 



While sitting here silent, so as not to disturb their 

 antics, a beautiful koodoo, as large as a well-fed two- 

 year-old heifer, walked out of the surrounding trees, and 

 approached within fifty yards. The white transverse 

 lines on its back were very wide and unusually distinct ; 

 its head was graced with a magnificent pair of horns. 

 However much I should have liked to have these at 

 home, the trouble of carrying them so many thousand 

 miles was not commensurate with the reward. The cool, 

 indolent manner in which this animal walked about was 

 very amusing. If it had been a family pet in a home 

 paddock it would probably have conducted itself in the 

 same way. I hope it still lives and enjoys life as it then 

 appeared to do. 



As I intended trecking in the afternoon, I left this 



