184 EXPEDITION INTO 



kiieeS; the patriarch was instantly trampled under foot by his 

 followers as they charg-ed, bellowing", in close squadron, 

 down the declivity, with the fury of a passing- whirlwind, and 

 makino- the woods re-echo to the clatter of their hoofs. 



In the veg-etable world, a great variety of novel and in- 

 teresting- forms g-race the banks of the Limpopo, but the 

 airy acacia is still pre-eminently beautiful. Green and shady 

 belts, bedizened with golden blossoms and purple pods, or 

 fringed with the cradle nests of the pensile grosbeak, extend 

 on either side — their mazes being intersected by paths worn 

 by hippopotami during their nocturnal rambles. The recesses 

 of these fairy groves, ringing- with " wood-notes wild," are 

 the favourite haunts of many forest-loving antelopes. The 

 graceful pallah, with knotted and eccentrically inflected horns 

 of extraordinary proportions, is found in large families. Shy 

 and capricious in its habits, the elegance of its form, and the 

 delicate finish of its limbs, are unrivalled. The usual suc- 

 centorial hoofs are wanting, but the hind legs are furnished 

 with remarkable cushions of wiry hair, which occur in no 

 other species, and remind us of the heels of a Mercury. 

 This favoured spot, too^ is a chosen resort of the majestic 

 water-buck, which I now found might be ridden down with 

 facility; a discovery that enabled me to obtain many splendid 

 specimens. This rare and remarkable animal, which has 

 been already described, is never found at a distance from 

 the banks of tropical rivers, in the waters of which he de- 

 lights to plunge. 



Another rare species — the roan antelope, or bastard gems- 

 bock — is an inhabitant of the elevated downs and ridg-es 

 about the source of this river, and, being utterly destitute of 

 speed, may be ridden to a stand-still without difficulty. 

 This most imposing animal, which charges viciously when 

 unable to continue its flight, is the size of a large horse ; 

 and, excepting the head and tail^ which are jet blacky is 



