132 AFRICAN NATURE NOTES CHAP. 



lishment of large sanctuaries in uninhabited parts of 

 the country, it will be possible, I think, to preserve 

 in considerable numbers all the many species of 

 antelopes still inhabiting South Africa, as well as 

 the handsome striped zebras, for a long time to 

 come ; but never again can such scenes be wit- 

 nessed as were constantly presented to the eyes of 

 the earlier travellers in the interior of that country. 



Then not only were many species of richly 

 coloured graceful antelopes and zebras everywhere 

 to be seen, but in the early mornings and evenings 

 great herds of rugged horned buffaloes on their 

 way to or from their drinking- places almost 

 rivalled the lesser game in numbers, whilst, 

 scattered amongst all these denizens of the modern 

 world, the numerous long-horned, heavy-headed 

 white rhinoceroses, together with their more alert 

 and active-looking cousins of the prehensile-lipped 

 species, must have appeared like survivals from a 

 far-distant epoch of the world's history. 



Even in my own time all the great game of 

 Southern Africa was in places still abundant, and a 

 scene which I once witnessed in October 1873 will 

 never fade from my memory. I was at that time 

 hunting elephants in the country to the south-east 

 of the Victoria Falls, and one afternoon, when 

 approaching a swampy valley known to the Bush- 

 men by the name of " Dett," I came unexpectedly 

 on a herd of these animals. I had killed one 

 young bull and severely wounded a second, when 

 I was charged by a big cow with long white tusks. 

 I stood my ground and fired into her chest as she 

 came on, on which she at once stopped screaming 

 and swerved off, giving me the opportunity to place 

 another shot in her ribs with my second gun. At 

 that time I was only armed with two old muzxle- 

 loading four- bore elephant guns, of the clumsiest 

 and most antiquated description, but they hit hard 



