xiv SIGHT OF VULTURES 261 



of an animal killed on an open plain should be 

 quickly hidden from view with branches of trees or 

 grass, it will not remain long unvisited, for one 

 or other of the vultures constantly flying round, 

 perhaps at such a height as to be invisible to the 

 human eye, is sure to spy it ere long, and then 

 something in its mode of flight no doubt suggesting 

 that it is bent on serious business is itself seen 

 and followed by others, which in their turn are 

 observed, till all the vultures in the neighbourhood 

 are presently assembled at the feast. The Bush- 

 men say that it is useless covering up a carcase 

 and leaving blood-stains on the ground round about, 

 as vultures can see these signs of slaughter at an 

 incredible distance, and will always come down to 

 investigate such tell-tale marks, whether the meat 

 of the slain animal has been removed or not. 



Having secured the skin of the gemsbuck (with 

 the skull and leg-bones still attached) to my saddle, 

 I commenced to lead my horse along his back 

 tracks, but had not proceeded far when I met my 

 after- rider, who, after having despatched the 

 gemsbuck bull, had followed me up with half a 

 dozen of the Bushmen. These latter I sent on to 

 bring in the meat of the cow, and they overtook us 

 again just as we had finished cutting up the bull. 

 It was late in the afternoon when we got back to 

 the waggon, but after a good meal, washed down 

 with the best part of a kettleful of tea, I set to 

 work, and before turning in got the headskin of 

 the bull, as well as the complete skin of the cow, 

 cleaned and prepared for mounting, with arsenical 

 soap. The latter now stands in the Mammalian 

 Gallery of the Natural History Museum at South 

 Kensington, and the former is in my own collection. 



As there was but little game in the desert 

 country surrounding the pool where 1 was en- 

 camped nothing, in fact, but a few giraffes, ostriches. 



