358 LARGE GAME. chap. vii. 



the effect of causing them to make a spurt, and to my 

 great delight, I saw that the gap between them and the 

 hindmost one increased every second. My dog saw it too, 

 and immediately ran up to it and tried to seize its throat, 

 but was instantly shaken off, and beyond possibly delay- 

 ing the animal a few seconds, did no good. My horse was 

 considerably distressed, but I roused him up again, and 

 when he caught sight of the now almost solitary harte- 

 beest he did his best to run up to it. However, all we 

 could do was to force it to leave the rest, and to take up 

 its own line, and I was obliged to save my horse, now get- 

 ting very weak under me, as much as possible. My dog 

 also would not answer my voice any further than to look 

 round at me, while the hartebeest kept on its steady 

 gallop, its skin, dark red at all times, now seeming almost 

 black as it steamed and shone with perspiration. I felt 

 dizzy myself from the great heat, and for choice the ante- 

 lope seemed the most likely of us to win the day. I was 

 gaining, however ; yard by yard the brute came nearer to 

 me, till I could count the rings on its crooked horns, and 

 it seemed to be failing more at every stride, but so was 

 my horse. The latter sobbed under me as I lifted him on, 

 and I knew that he would drop soon ; yet I had not the 

 heart to pull him up, with the chase so near, and in a 

 condition of such evident exhaustion. At last I thought 

 I would try the gun, but the lumbering way in which my 

 horse was galloping made me miss, and I had scarcely 

 reslung it, when with a long quiver as if he were break- 

 ing his heart, he fell beneath me, though, as I felt him 

 going, I did not get a fall. There was still one chance 

 left — a chance that was but a slight one, with my arms 



