108 THE OUT-STATION ; OR, 



dead stop, then sinking on his belly, he reconnoitred 

 the herd, possibly picking out a fat fellow, before he 

 made an attack on any of them singly. 



In a second the heads of the antelopes were erect, 

 sniffing the breeze ; they evidently smelt mischief, 

 for the next moment away bounded the herd with 

 the cheetah at their heels (my Arab keeping up as 

 best he could), at a rate that I have never before 

 or since seen any thing equal, except a swallow. 



The locomotive platforms, that had followed us 

 hitherto with their loads, were now disburdened of 

 the cheetahs, whose hoods were removed, and them- 

 selves let loose after the flying foe. 



It was a splendid sight, seeing the three animals in 

 full chase together, after a herd of about twenty an- 

 telopes, although out of these twenty only three were 

 fated as the cheetah, after fixing his eye on one, 

 never exchanges his object. 



The chase did not last long ; I could plainly per- 

 ceive the antelopes struggling to keep up the running 

 through that wilderness of sand, in which their legs 

 sank deeper than their fetlocks at each stride, whilst 

 the full, flat " pud" of the cheetah gave him a treble 

 advantage, until, by degrees, they had receded within 

 the reach of the nearest pursuer. 



Without any apparent stopping or effort, the cheetah 

 sprang on the neck of the animal he had marked out, 

 who forthwith sank to the ground with its living 

 burden. 



