all except the wounded one, which had turned 

 off from the others. For all the flurry and 

 confusion I had not lost sight of her, and noting 

 her tucked-up appearance and shortened strides 

 set Jock on her trail, believing that she would be 

 down in a few minutes. 



It is not necessary to go over it all again : it was 

 much the same as the impala chase. I came back 

 tired, disappointed and beaten, and without Jock. 

 It was only after darkness set in that things began to 

 look serious. When it came to midnight, with the 

 camp wrapped in silence and in sleep, and there was 

 still no sign of Jock, things looked very black indeed. 



I heard his panting breath before it was possible to 

 see anything. It was past one o'clock when he returned. 



***** 



As we had missed the night trek to wait for Jock I 

 decided to stay on where we were until the next 

 evening and to have another try for the wounded koo- 

 doo, with the chance of coming across the troop again. 



By daybreak Jock did not seem much the worse 

 for his night's adventures whatever they were. 

 There were no marks of blood on him this time ; 

 there were some scratches which might have been 

 caused by thorns during the chase, and odd-looking 

 grazes on both hind-quarters near the hip-bones, 

 as though he had been roughly gravelled there. He 

 seemed a little stiff, and flinched when I pressed his 

 sides and muscles, but he was as game as ever when he 

 saw the rifle taken down. 

 175 



