318 LARGE GAME. chap. vii. 



black hound which a boy was leading behind him, and 

 said that it would kill more antelopes than all the spears 

 put together. This had been in the morning, when going 

 to the river to fish ; and as I was coming back later in 

 the day, the boy who accompanied me exclaimed, " Look, 

 there 's a reed-buck being chased. Yes ! there are the 

 dogs ; that's Makambi's black one leading." On looking 

 in the direction pointed out, I saw a doe bounding with 

 great springs down a slight rise, while almost at her heels, 

 with its long body laid flat upon the ground, ran the 

 black homid I had seen in the morning, followed at a 

 considerable distance by half a dozen more. We were in 

 a first-rate position to see the chase, the ground slanting 

 down towards the depression in which we were, and then 

 gradually rising towards a ridge of small hills about a 

 mile off. The doe was heading directly towards us, and 

 in five or six minutes more she crossed within twenty 

 yards of us, now going somewhat heavily, the black dog 

 still retaining its relative position, while the rest were 

 nowhere. It was all I could do to restrain the excited 

 boy from hurling his spear as they passed. He would 

 very probably have succeeded in his aim, and so, by 

 drawing first blood, become part owner in the antelope 

 with the master of the hound, and his consequent grum- 

 bling was loud and long. In the meantime the hound, 

 gradually gaining, forced the exhausted animal to slightly 

 alter its course to one nearly parallel to us, and in a few 

 minutes more, running clean past her, he seized her by 

 the throat, contrary to the custom of most native dogs 

 which generally commence at the other end, and after 

 being dragged a few yards and a short struggle, he 



