24 HOME LIFE ON AN OSTRICH FARM. 



tiresome birds did all in their power to hinder it, and 

 if quiet enough before, seemed always prompted by 

 some mischievous demon to begin moving about as 

 soon as the counting commenced ; then, just when 

 we were about half " through " to use a convenient 

 Americanism they would get so hopelessly mixed up 

 that we had to begin all over again. 



One day T and I had the excitement of an 



ostrich-hunt on horseback. One of our birds, which 

 was much larger than any of the others, being nearly 

 full-grown, and which had to be kept separate lest he 

 should ill-treat his weaker brethren, had got away, and 



we had a long ride after him ; T following him up 



by his spoor, or footprints, with as unerring an eye as 

 that of a Red Indian, until at last we were rewarded 

 by the sight of a small head and long snake-like neck 

 above the distant bushes. Then came the very en- 

 joyable but somewhat difficult work of driving our 

 prisoner home. He would trot before us quietly 

 enough for a while, with his curious springy step, till 

 he thought we were off our guard, when he would 

 make an abrupt and unexpected run in the wrong 

 direction ; and a prompt rush, like that of the picador 

 in a bull-fight, was necessary to cut off his retreat. 

 The horses quite understood what they had to do, 

 and seemed to enter into the spirit of it, and enjoy it 

 as we did. 



