THE DUTCH BOERS. 113 



and, as it was not usual to travel beyond that time, a halt 

 was called; the horses were off-saddled, knee-haltered, 

 and allowed to take their much-enjoyed roll, and to pick 

 up a mouthful of grass ; the oxen were unyoked, and 

 turned out to graze ; some dried wood was collected from 

 a neighbouring kloof, some fires lighted, coffee ready, and 

 pipes in full glory in a very few minutes. Most of these 

 Dutchmen were well-to-do farmers, fat, jolly fellows, with 

 apparently no care, enjoying everything they possessed, 

 and wanting nothing more; they were good riders, ex- 

 cellent shots, and very handy men in the field. In edu- 

 cation and refinement they were certainly limited ; they 

 were more au fait at spooring an elephant and skinning 

 an eland than in solving an equation or making a polite 

 speech ; but for good-hearted, dirty, free-and-easy fellows, 

 their equals were rarely to be met with. If a man desires 

 to see the wild parts of a country and its sports, he cannot 

 always have the refinements or the luxuries of civilized 

 life at hand. 



Upon continuing our journey, the Dutchmen each made 

 one of their thinnest specimens of humanity, in the shape 

 of a young Hottentot, mount a spare horse, and follow 

 with a rifle. These skinny fellows were useful during a 

 long run to provide a remount, or to turn any herd of 

 game that was not taking a convenient direction. We 

 were now in the game country, and had therefore to keep 

 a good look-out all round. 



The elands are well known in England, several fine 

 specimens being in the Regent's Park Zoological Gardens. 

 No idea of their activity can be formed from their appear- 



i 



