288 AFRICAN NATURE NOTES CHAP. 



the scattered bushes, about five hundred yards ahead. 

 Before the animal raised its head I slipped from the 

 saddle and led my horse out to one side, till I got 

 a thick cluster of thorn bushes between myself and 

 the beautiful, long-horned antelope. Then remount- 

 ing, I cantered quickly up to the cover, and again 

 dismounting, pulled the bridle over my horse's head 

 and left him standing. 



On creeping round the bushes, and raising my 

 head cautiously above a thick tussock of grass, I 

 saw that the gemsbuck was still feeding quite un- 

 suspiciously about two hundred yards away from my 

 hiding-place ; and as there seemed to be absolutely 

 no wind, I at once commenced to crawl on my 

 hands and knees towards a bush that I judged to 

 be within easy shot of my intended victim. On 

 reaching this I again looked up, and at first could 

 not see the gemsbuck, but the next instant 1 saw 

 it galloping away, and about three hundred yards 

 off. Glancing towards where I had left my horse, 

 I saw it had walked out from the cover of the 

 bushes behind which I had left it, and by so doing 

 had doubtless spoilt my stalk. Running back to 

 it, I mounted hastily and commenced a long, stern 

 chase. 



The gemsbuck, a fine old bull, kept up a strong, 

 steady pace, its long, bushy black tail swinging 

 from side to side as it ran. The soft sandy soil 

 and tussocky grass made the going very heavy, 

 but I was well mounted and gradually gained upon 

 the desert-born antelope I was pursuing, till at length 

 little more than two hundred yards separated us. 

 Perhaps I should never have got up to this gems- 

 buck at all had it run straight away from me, but 

 it had continually kept swerving inwards, and this 

 had enabled me to cut in on it. Twice I pulled in 

 my panting horse, and jumping to the ground, 

 fired at a distance of some 250 yards. Both these 



