ANTELOPES 99 



whole net trembles from end to end with the shock and 

 bulges far out from the weight of the animal, which in a 

 moment is hopelessly entangled, held by feet and horns 

 alike. 



With the exception of the three captives all are now 

 safely over and are disappearing in the bush, still leaping 

 and bounding high into the air, as if there were other 

 barriers to progress to be encountered. Our enjoyment 

 of the spectacle, generally, must not blind us to detail. 

 Observe how, in springing, the forelegs are gathered up 

 under and close to the body, until the moment before 

 alighting ; while the hind ones, soon after leaving the 

 ground, are extended at full length behind, so that, while 

 in mid air, the animal is in the form of a perfect arc, and 

 sometimes alights in an -almost perpendicular position. 

 There is no obvious effort in the jumping of an impala, 

 such as is noticeable in a horse's leap ; he seems to float 

 through the air with graceful undulations, entirely 

 different from the rubber-ball-like action so characteristic 

 of the springbuck. He is indifferent as to whether he 

 leaves the ground from a stand, or when going at full 

 speed, and there is always a distinct dwell between each 

 mighty bound. 



But the natives have now hurried up to the net, and 

 are busy extricating the prisoners before their struggles 

 shall have done them any serious harm. Once touched 

 by human hands they seem to abandon all hope and 

 surrender themselves completely to their fate, submitting 

 almost without resistance to have each pair of legs, as 

 it is extracted from the meshes, firmly strapped together. 

 It is a bare 400 yards to the station, and three men are 

 sufficient to carry each animal to the enclosure already 

 prepared there. One supports each pair of legs, while 

 on the third devolves the important task of keeping the 



