.; 



294 



GIRAFFE HUNTING^ 



that formed the primary support, but when I ch'mbed 

 up one hundred or more feet, these mammoth stones, 

 as I imagined, lay apparently one upon the other, 

 and showed no indication of having ever been 

 attached. My intrusion was soon observed by a 

 large party of baboons. So angrily did they bark 

 and menace me, that it was obvious they were 

 ignorant of the deadly effects of fire-arms. If I am 

 not wrong in my surmises, the beautiful spotted 

 leopard is here also far from scarce. 



Another day's journey to the southward of east 

 took us through an equally attractive country. It 

 was the perfection of park-like scenery, the timber 

 being exceedingly varied, always growing in pictur- 

 esque clumps, while the open land bore a fine crop of 

 dark green healthy grass of the most succulent and 

 refreshing description. The latter my oxen thought 

 at least, for it required considerable coercion to get 

 the sturdy beasts along through it without tasting its 

 excellence. 



Game paths existed in every direction, but all 

 seemed to trend in the direction that we were pur- 

 suing. About 4 p.m. I saw a small party of storks, 

 they were taking life easy and resting in idle 

 contentment. This indicated a vley^ and in half 

 an hour more I was upon its margin. The soil that 

 edged this pond was an index to a volume of natural 

 history, for the spoor of every variety of small or 

 large game to be found in South Africa was to be 

 seen imprinted upon it, from the elephant's and 

 giraffe's to the otter's and ichneumon's. The naturalist 

 and sportsman who have not had the facilities of 

 travelling thus far into the bowels of the land, would 

 scarcely believe it possible that such a vast natural 

 menagerie could exist in one locality. Sir Corn- 

 wallis Harris and Gordon Gumming, enthusiasts as 

 they were, could never have seen anywhere in their 

 researches for game, a proof positive of its existence, 



