Scaring the Vultures. 229 



liad finished our attentions to the first the vultures 

 had settled Ijy scores on the other two buck. We 

 saved these, however, before much hann had l^ceu 

 done. Vultures and jnckals will not ^'enture, foi" 

 hours, to approach dead game well covered up 

 with grass and branches, tearing a trap. It is a 

 good plan to tie a pocket-handkerchief to a stick 

 over the heap and leave it fluttering in the wind. 

 We reached camp al)out two o'clock in the after- 

 noon, after a tiring but satisfactory morning's work. 

 "TheBaboon" was immediately despatched with the 

 mule driver, the two savages, and ten mules to find 

 andbrino'in the three dead buck. He is unerrino- 

 in finding dead game on the veldt. Guided only 

 liy the vaguest directions, he follows the spoor of 

 the hunter's horse, it may be, for miles, till he 

 arrives at the locality. When only one buck has 

 to be brought in he takes Avith him two horses or 

 donkeys. The animal is half skinned ; half the 

 l^ody, divided lengthways, with the head, is placed 

 on one horse ; the other half, with the skin, on the 

 other. On this occasion, when it was a question of 

 tliree large buck, it was necessarv to send a team 

 of mules, and to construct, where the game lay, a 

 timber sledge on which to place the bodies. '' The 

 Baboon " and his cortege started oft' about three in 

 the afternoon, and I hoped that he would have 

 returned to camp before night. He had some five 

 miles to travel to the buck. For once " the 

 Baboon's" skill somewhat failed him. Thinkino-to 

 make a short cut, he neglected to follow our spoor, 

 and, misled b)- a white fing, which some prospec- 



