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222 



GIRAFFE HUNTING. 



than a mile an hour. The sand was well over the 

 wheel felloes at all times, for my loads were heavy, 

 and I regret to say that the powerful and loud- 

 resounding whip had incessantly to be kept employed. 

 The desired place (of outspan) at length was come 

 to. It was a vley of a hundred or more acres, and 

 fortunately, at the time I speak of, full of water, 

 for heavy rains had lately fallen. The situation, 

 although not strikingly beautiful, had its attraction 

 when seen with a gorgeous rising sun, burnishing the 

 water's surface with his golden rays. Around the 

 vley were diminutive and gently sloping high 

 grounds, covered with mapani brush, through which 

 grew in sparsely scattered clumps — almost omni- 

 present in all African scenery — the variety of mimosa 

 tree known as Accasia giraffa. 



My position at this time was about one hundred and 

 twenty miles south-east of Soochong, in Bamanwato, 

 and on the direct road to the unproductive gold-fields 

 of Tati. 



As all had been more or less busy for the previous 

 forty-eight hours, after a thorough good feed, I 

 turned in for a few hours' sleep. Rest had been 

 earned if ever it was, and I enjoyed the desired 

 reward of my labour till the sun was nearly dipping 

 the western horizon. On turning out, my eyes were 

 greeted with what is ever a pleasant sight to the 

 African hunter — viz., the return to camp of fat cattle, 

 their paunches nearly bursting with the quantity of 

 luxuriant pasture they had obtained on their new 

 range. The horses also were equally fit, for they had 

 been saved along the line of march for the work that 

 was now contemplated. At that time my stud con- 

 sisted of three nags, a dark strawberry roan, and a 

 dark steel-grey, these colours are called by the Boers 

 respectively red and blue skimmels. Both were 

 good, sound, and fast beasts, that had cost me a lot 

 of money, for they were " salted!' The th'>d of my 



