258 



FROM NORTH POLE TO EQUATOR. 



the thirst, the longer the distances which they cover; the flocks 

 become herds, the herds armies, and these resemble the swarms of 

 locusts which darken the sun. In the plains they cover square 

 miles; in the passes between the mountains they throng together in 

 a compact mass which no other creature can resist; over the low 

 grounds they pour, like a stream which has overflowed its banks 



. 39. Springbok Antelopes. 



and carries all before ^pF~T! 

 it. Bewildering, in- | 'v^, 

 toxicating, and stupe- 1 

 fy ing even the calmest 

 of men, the throng 

 surges past for hours, perhaps days together. 61 Like the greedy 

 locusts, the famishing animals fall upon grass and leaves, grain, 

 and other fruits of the field; where they have passed, not a blade is 

 left. The man who comes in contact with them is at once thrown 

 to the ground, and so sorely wounded by the tread of their hoofs, 

 light indeed, but a thousand times repeated, that he may be glad if 

 he escapes with his life; a herd of sheep feeding in the way is 

 surrounded and carried off, never to be seen again; a lion, who 

 thought to gain an easy prey, finds himself forced to relinquish his 



