290 AFRICAN NATURE NOTES CHAP. 



I first took a turn to the right, and was just 

 coming round again to cut my horse's spoor in 

 the open valley down which I had galloped just 

 before my last shot, when I saw an animal running 

 amongst the trees ahead of me. The sun had now 

 set, and the light was already bad, especially beneath 

 the shade of the trees ; and as I went in pursuit, 

 I thought I was after the wounded gemsbuck once 

 more. I was, however, soon undeceived, for on 

 galloping out into an open place, I saw an old blue 

 wildebeest bull lumbering along in front of me. I 

 at once pulled up, and again rode round to cut the 

 gemsbuck's spoor ; but it was now fast getting dusk, 

 and I had somewhat lost my exact bearings, so I 

 gave it up as a bad job and rode off westwards till 

 I cut the waggon track, and finally reached my 

 camp. 



I was much annoyed, for a gemsbuck bull is 

 always a beast worth shooting, and this particular 

 one, which I had so unaccountably lost, had, I felt 

 sure, carried a very fine head. 



I had my supper and turned in, but I could not 

 sleep for annoyance at losing the gemsbuck. Could 

 I, I wondered, with the sun shining full in my eyes, 

 have fired a little too high, and instead of hitting 

 the gemsbuck at the root of the tail, have struck it 

 in the back of the head or neck? Had I done so 

 it would, of course, have fallen to the ground as if 

 struck by lightning, and I might then have galloped 

 close past it without seeing it, both because I was 

 looking on ahead through the trees and because 

 my sight was still blurred by the sun. Anyhow, I 

 thought I would go back and solve the mystery the 

 next morning. 



It must have been about ten o'clock at night 

 when my dogs began to bark, and presently I heard 

 some one ride up to my waggon. It proved to be 

 Count von Schweinitz, a German gentleman whom 



