220 Men, Mines, and Animals in South Africa. 



thicker, I desisted from the chase, firing a parting 

 but useless shot. My companions soon rejoined 

 me, guided by the report of my rifle. We con- 

 tinued our ride without seeing any more game. 

 Close by the camp, returning home, Lee got a 

 shot at and killed a " duiker," a small antelope. 

 This little beast came in useful, as we had no fresh 

 meat, with the exception of a sheep which had 

 been purchased at Fort Salisbury, and which 

 turned out to be such a wretched, poor animal that 

 it was handed over to the natives who accompanied 

 us. These buck, big and little, are all excellent 

 eating. They are never fat like the park deer of 

 England, or the forest stag in Scotland, but their 

 meat when kept for a day or two is tender and 

 good. The tongue, liver, and kidneys are, in 

 truth, delicacies. I^othing can be more plain and 

 simple than the necessary cooking. A good heap 

 of hot ashes, a couple of baking pans, a little fat, 

 either bacon or butter, lots of pepper and salt, a 

 quarter of an hour s jDatience, and the best dinner 

 Avhich can be eaten awaits the slayer of the African 

 buck. Roan antelope venison I have found to l^e 

 most meritorious, but Lee informed me that eland 

 is superior, and that giraffe venison far exceeds 

 either. Xor must I omit to mention the marrow 

 bones of the antelope. Again, the cooking is of 

 the simplest character. The thigh bones, stripped 

 of meat, are thrown upon hot ashes and covered 

 with them. In ten minutes they are ready ; a 

 hatcliet or a stone serves to break the end of the 

 bone, and such marrow is poured out on the j^late 



