164 THE PLAINS OF AFRICA. 



together in countless numbers on the plains, and 

 keep as far as possible from the haunts of man. 

 But now and then, in seasons of great drought, 

 the pools dry up, and there is not a drop of water 

 for them to drink. 



Then the whole herd makes a descent on the 

 cultivated spots, in numbers so vast that nothing 

 can withstand them. 



This is an event the African farmer dreads 

 more than anything that can happen to him. The 

 antelopes come like a swarm of locusts, and any 

 attempt to keep them from the fields is useless. 

 They whiten the country as far as eye can reach ; 

 and pastures, which in the morning were fair and 

 flourishing, are trodden down level with the ground. 



The farmer is obliged to find fresh fodder for 

 his flocks until such time as the rain comes, when 

 the spring-boks return to their native wilds. 



The bounds which the spring-bok can take into 

 the air fill us with astonishment. It will curve 

 its back, showing the white mark, and leap eight 

 feet into the air. It will spring across a path 

 twenty-five feet in width, and clear it at one bound. 



