A Thousand Miles in a Machilla 



unfortunately something disturbed them as I was 

 coming up, and all I saw was the end of their white- 

 tipped tails as they galloped away at full speed. I 

 managed, however, to make them out fairly well 

 through glasses when they stopped about a mile 

 off to graze once more. Cow sable are brown, 

 but the old bulls are a beautiful blue-black; and 

 apart from their horns, are easily distinguishable 

 from the young bulls, which resemble the cows in 

 colour. 



On our way home we came across some reed- 

 buck, pretty beasts with greyish-yellow coats and 

 horns curving forward; and as we were short of 

 meat, A — — shot three of them, to the great delight 

 of the men. Our teams carried us home ** full speed 

 ahead," singing at the top of their voices. It was 

 pitch dark by the time we reached camp, and 

 lanterns had to be fetched to guide us up the steep 

 slope leading to our tents. 



We remained stationary the whole of the 21st 



and 22 nd, whilst A thoroughly searched the 



neighbourhood. The country was very fairly open, 

 with nearly as much grass land as forest, and there 

 were plenty of points of vantage from which a 

 telescope could be used, yet nothing was to be seen 

 but a few oribi and reedbuck. 



What becomes of the game it is hard to say. 

 One evening an eland was seen, and on another 

 occasion a glimpse of a fine bull sable, but they were 

 both off before A could get a shot. 



Late on the 22nd the natives reported that the 

 herd of sable was back again in its usual haunts, 



68 



