HERDS OF ANTELOPE 183 



mostly pine and larch, growing in a ravine on the 

 opposite slopes, and immediately despatched Taba 

 with an axe to bring back two or three of the 

 straightest ones which might serve our purpose. 

 He succeeded in a most intelligent manner, and we 

 were soon in possession of a couple of poles which 

 were ultimately worked into shape. But these had 

 to dry, and it was some days before they were fit 

 for use. Meantime we had to strap the broken 

 ones together as tightly as possible. Rain poured 

 down the whole afternoon. There was no fuel to 

 be obtained on the spot, and our dinner that night 

 consisted of dried "Julienne" and tinned tongue. On 

 the following morning, at 3 a.m., Littledale and I 

 started for the hills. We crossed the river, which 

 we found easily fordable close to camp, and on 

 reaching a small plateau half-way up, separated in 

 different directions. 



In three hours we found ourselves on the table- 

 land, about 1,500 feet above camp-level. Although 

 our tents appeared to stand at the very foot of the 

 range, yet so deceiving was the distance over the 

 steppe, that the hills seemed gradually moving away 

 from us as we advanced over that endless plain. On 

 our way we came across several herds of antelope, 

 probably A. gutturosa, and here for the first time we 



