126 SCHMELEN'S HOPE. [chap. iv. 



the rate of two-aud-a-half miles per hour gives 

 212 miles. 



A few incidents occurred at Schmelen's Hope ; first a 

 plague of caterpillars that covered the ground, then a 

 swarm, but not an utterly destructive one, of locusts, 

 and, lastly, a flight of migratory storks, who made 

 great war upon the locusts. We were perpetually 

 teased by some hyenas — they came most impudently 

 in amongst us as their peculiar spoors showed (the 

 hind and fore feet being of unequal size), but we never 

 could catch them ; at last the dogs overtook one on a 

 bright moonlight night and held him at bay. I was 

 asleep and was quite undressed when their sharp barks 

 awoke me, and I had only time to put on my shoes. 

 The dogs and hyena were on the other side of the 

 Swakop, which here is exceedingly broad, about 300 

 yards, and by the time we had floundered throvigh the 

 sand to the other side the animal had retreated among 

 the rocks and halds thorns into the deep shade, but 

 the dogs held well to him. I sorely regretted the 

 leather trowsers that were left behind, as my bare legs 

 were scarified and bleeding. I could not see the hyena, 

 except one glimpse when he brushed against my leg. 

 At last the dogs surrounded him in a patch of moon- 

 shine, four or five feet from where I was, and I put a 

 bullet through liis back bone. The chase and the 

 skurry made as exciting a piece of sport as I ever 

 witnessed. We had some rifle shootmg at geese and 

 ducks, and Andersson slew a pan — the African bustard, 

 and probably the best flavoured and most tender game 

 that exists : John Morta cooked it with the utmost 



