Hyenas in a Cave 83 



still night, is weird and mournful to a degree. On 

 my way to Natal one trip, I was travelling at 

 night near Tafelkop beyond the Vaal River, the 

 boy was in front leading my two fat, stable-fed 

 horses ; as I intended to leave the wagons next day, 

 having shot enough game for rations and wished to 

 drive on to Maritzburg in my cart. All at once I 

 heard the boys shouting and ran forward in time to 

 see the horses tearing off, dragging the boy (who 

 had tied the end of the rein round his wrist), and 

 following them a pack of about thirty " wolves " 

 (hyenas). Fortunately, the rein came loose, the boy 

 was released, but badly bruised and shaken, and my 

 two beautiful horses disappeared in the dim moon- 

 light, tied together, the pack in full cry after them. 

 We could do nothing, so outspanned. My wagon 

 driver, Ben Holder, and I, followed the spoor as 

 close as we could till midnight, but could not over- 

 take them ; we met some of the " wolves " returning, 

 having failed to catch the horses, so we shot one of 

 them, the others bolted. The horses being tied 

 together, had fallen over ant heaps once or twice, 

 but had evidently escaped. Hyenas as a rule, do not 

 hunt in pack except at certain times. On my return 

 from Durban I found the horses in splendid condition 

 at the farm of Jan Britz, he having found them 

 while out hunting, and kept them for me when he 

 learned to whom they belonged. The one cream 

 coloured, " Buckley," was my favourite shooting 

 horse, and I rode him for years afterwards. I saw 

 that same Britz perform a wonderful feat of horse- 

 manship. We went out to shoot blesbok, of which 

 there were great numbers near his farm ; he was 

 riding an ugly little rat of a Basuto pony, and when 

 racing full tilt, it put its foot into a hole and rolled 

 over, Britz (who like all Boer hunters, rode with very 

 long stirrups), standing almost upright in the saddle, 



