180 A MEDLEY OF SPORT 



st^inbok, chops, and steaks, hounds were taken off to 

 draw a big eucalyptus plantation in which, the landlord 

 of the hotel informed us, was harboured a small herd 

 of steinbok. By the time we were in the saddle, the sun 

 was just appearing above the tops of a distant range of 

 chocolate -brown hills, and a pecuHar haze floated in the 

 air a few feet above the surface of the earth. 



*' It should be a good scenting day, Tom, don't 

 you think ? " cried the master, as he jogged along on a 

 fine upstanding Cape stallion, amongst the " dappled 

 darlings '' he loved so well, and had chosen with much 

 care and expense from the very best kennels in England. 



" Well, yes, the veldt should hold good scent and all 

 this morning, for the dew lies very hea\y ; but scent 

 be a wonderful tricky thing, sir," rephed Tom to the 

 master's question. 



The cheery cry of " Huic, covert, huic ! Push 'em 

 up, my httle beauties ; hie, wind 'em ! " re-echoes 

 through the big eucalyptus covert, as the huntsman 

 cheers his hounds on to draw. Suddenly a whimper 

 from old " Rascal " is taken up by the full chorus of the 

 pack, and a few minutes later the soul-stirring cry of 

 " Tally-ho ! Gone away. Gone aw-a-a-y ! " is shrieked 

 out by the second whip, from the far end of the covert. 



In almost less time than it takes to write it, the eager 

 pack are out of covert and streaming over the veldt at a 

 pace that proclaims the M.F.H. did not err in saying, 

 " It should be a good scenting day." 



The master, huntsman, and perhaps a dozen of the 



