A "STILL HUNT." 131 



me was so attractive, that I had the mare saddled 

 up and started for a "still hunt." Although very 

 few waggons pass this way, game, somehow or 

 other, has become so suspicious of them, that it is 

 ever well to get a few miles between your transport 

 and yourself. I chose the westward, for it is there 

 less known, and on this occasion the wind suited 

 better. On passing over a ridge, a piece of open 

 grass land, about an acre in extent, lay beneath me. 

 On it were half a dozen scattered bushes, none of 

 them of a size greater than would reach to a man's 

 waist, so that nothing occurred to prevent my 

 taking a thorough survey of this oasis. 



Noting a sudden and impressive pointedness 

 in my pony's ears, and that her eyes gazed in one 

 direction, I followed the hint thus imparted to me, 

 and, to my surprise, saw no less than twenty of 

 those elegant and most beautiful antelopes stein- 

 boks playing together like so many rabbits in a 

 warren. I jumped off to shoot at the nearest ; but 

 the mare, jerking back, disarranged my aim, and 

 my rifle exploded in the air. I mention this inci- 

 dent from the circumstance that I never previously 

 met more than two or three of these gems of the 

 animal creation together. 



Crossing over the grass, and ascending the 

 opposite side, I dismounted, and carefully approach- 

 ing the crest, gazed over the champaign. My 

 prudence had its reward, for not over two hundred 



