WITHIN A MILE OF JOHANNESBURG 139 



somewhat unenviable name of 'Mamba (a venomous snake). 

 While hobbling the ponies, preparatory to turning them 

 loose to nibble at anything green that they might be 

 fortunate enough to discover on the arid boulder-strewn 

 veld, a beautiful chanting goshawk suddenly appeared 

 on the scene, to the evident alarm of the fowl assembled 

 on the dam, as they instantly took refuge in the dense 

 reeds. The timely visit of the hawk augured well for 

 sport, however, as waterfowl, in common with all birds, 

 lie very close under a bird of prey. 



Having watched the natives enter the far end of the 

 lagoon, my companions and I took up our respective 

 stands among the reeds growing at the head of the water, 

 each man choosing the firmest footing he could find. 

 In spite of the fact that the goshawk must have been 

 cognisant of our presence, he still continued to quarter 

 the dam, often passing within shot of the guns. 



For quite three minutes the natives maintained what 

 must have proved to them a painful silence, but as they 

 sprang a little bunch of pink-bill teal, such an unearthly 

 volley of war-whoops went up that the friendly hawk 

 departed from the scene at his very best pace, while 

 huge spur-wing geese, duck, teal, coots, and ibises seemed 

 to rise from every growth of reeds and patch of sedge- 

 fringed slob, and trips of greenshanks and avocets and 

 small wisps of snipe restlessly flitted round the shores 

 of the pan. A bunch of perhaps thirty duck passing 

 between the lawyer and myself afforded the former 

 a beautiful crossing shot, and he very promptly cut down 

 a couple with a " right and left." The duck were too 

 far off for my light 12-bore, and with a sigh of regret 

 I watched them pass away across the veld. The other 



