198 EXrEDlTION INTO 



tag-e of my occupation to free himself from his halter^ and 

 abscond. Being* ten miles from the wag-g-ons^ and in a 

 perfectly strang-e countr}^^ I felt convinced that the only 

 chance of recovering- my pet, was by following* the trail, 

 A\'hilst doing- Avhicli with infinite difficulty, the ground 

 scarcely deig-ning- to receive a foot-print, I had the satis- 

 faction of meeting- Piet and Mohanycom, who had for- 

 tunatel}^ seen and re-captured the truant. Returning- to 

 the giraffe, we all feasted heartily upon the flesh, which, 

 althoug'h hig-hly scented at this season with the rank mo- 

 kaala blossoms, was far from despicable ; and after losing- 

 our Avay in consequence of the twin-like resemblance of 

 two scarped hills, we reg-ained the wag-g-ons after sunset. 



The spell was now broken, and the secret of camelopard 

 hunting- discovered. The next day Richardson and myself 

 killed three ; one — a female, slipping- upon muddy g-round, 

 and falling- with g-reat violence, before she had been wounded, 

 a shot in the head despatched her as she la}". From this 

 time we could reckon confidently upon tAvo out of each 

 troop that we were fortunate enoug'h to find, alwaj^s ap- 

 proaching- as near as possible, in order to ensure a g-ood 

 start, g-alloping- into the middle of them, hoarding the 

 larg-est, and riding- with him until he fell. The rapidity 

 with which these awkwardly formed animals can move, is 

 be3'ond all thing's surprising-, our best horses being- unable 

 to close with them under two miles. Their g-allop is a 

 succession of jumping- strides, the fore and hind leg- on the 

 same side moving- tog-ether instead of diag-onally, as in most 

 other quadrupeds, the former being- kept close tog-ether, and 

 the latter so wide apart, that in riding- by the animal's side, 

 the hoof may be seen striking- on the outside of the horse, 

 threatening- momentarily to overthrow him. Their motion, 

 altog-ether, reminded me rather of the pitching- of a ship, 

 or rolling- of a rocking'-horse, than of any thing- living- ; and 



