174 DAYS AND NIGHTS BY THE DESERT. 



When wild dogs or hysenas attack any of these large 

 bok, they invariably make for the flank. If my 

 poor hounds had done likewise, they might have 

 been my companions for many a day to come. 



While riding home I will attempt to describe 

 the gemsbok (Oryx capensis). The greater part 

 of its body is a dirty cream colour, upon which are 

 beautiful black markings ; first on the face, from 

 the lower part of the horns to the bottom of the 

 jaw, runs a jet line traversing the eyes, in front of 

 which come a large black blaze up half-way above 

 the nostrils. A mane extends from between the 

 ears to some distance beyond the withers. Again, 

 there is a peculiar and angular-shaped pattern, 

 gradually increasing in width, also black, from the 

 termination of the mane to the setting on of the 

 tail, which latter is very ox-like, but more tufted. 

 Both fore and hind legs have a black blaze down 

 to the knee and hock ; while in front, just at the 

 part of the neck that would be most prominent in 

 an ewe-necked horse, is a very prominent black 

 bunch of hair. The horns, which are strongly 

 marked with corrugations over a third of their 

 length from the base, are almost straight, but 

 gently turn outwards from each other towards the 

 points, and are often over three feet long, while the 

 mature bull not unfrequently reaches thirteen hands 

 in height at the shoulder. 



The gemsbok is truly a beautiful animal, in many 



