FLAT GAME AND SMALL GAME. 85 



sky line, and as they moved on and disappeared more 

 of them continually came into view. 



When the game were collected like this, it was out of 

 the question to obtain sport, for they were unapproach- 

 able. 



When they reached their destination they would break 

 up into troops, each consisting of so many scores, hun- 

 dreds or thousands, and spread themselves over the 

 country, and then fine sport could be had with horse 

 and rifle. 



The game consisted of white-tailed wildebeeste, bless- 

 buck and spring-buck, with occasional troops of quagga. 



The white-tailed wildebeeste was very wary, and had 

 a curious knack of always observing the hunter the 

 moment he came in sight. It was not of the least use 

 trying to shoot him with a slow throwing rifle, for on 

 perceiving the pufif of smoke he would whip round like a 

 teetotum and be off before the ball reached him. 



I remember that on my first expedition to the high 

 veldt I was unaware of this peculiarity, and armed myself 

 with a Snider Enfield rifle. I covered them carefully 

 and judged my distance correctly, but it was all of no 

 avail, for they jumped out of the way the moment they 

 saw the flash of the shot. 



On one occasion I fired at a wildebeeste at a range of 

 400 yards. He was looking straight at me. He whipped 

 round at the shot, and receiving the bullet just above the 

 root of the tail came down with his hind-quarters paralysed. 



W'ith this rifle I found the best way to get wildebeeste 

 was not to fire at them, but to aim on one side of them 

 in the hope that they would jump into the shot, or else 

 to wait until they were walking along broadside on and 

 then fire slightly ahead of them. 



