THE WILD FAUNA OP THE EMPIEE 



31 



scanty remnants of the large antelope will become alarmed and 

 leave the district. It will be at least five years before the rarer 

 kinds of game show in any numbers. It would be fatal to allow 

 irresponsible people to come into the Eeserve to shoot carnivora ; 

 these latter can be well dealt with by the staff, who, in doing so, 

 take care not to disturb the game. As time goes on, and we 

 become more and more familiar with the haunts of the wild dogs, 

 there is no doubt that a proportionately larger number will be 

 killed. 



' When it is considered that up to a year ago both white men 

 and Kaffirs were hunting daily and the carnivora were more 

 numerous than to-day, and that still the game managed to exist, it 

 Will readily be seen that the carnivora alone can make no great 

 impression, especially when they themselves are being assiduously 

 hunted. 



' Ebpoet on Sinowitsi Game Ebsebve. 



' I left Sabi Bridge on September 4 and crossed to the 

 Oliphants Eiver on 13th of that month, travelling with pack 

 donkeys for about 150 miles to the north of it. I found little or 

 Jio game on the' Letaba, which I followed for about thirty miles. 

 There are many kraals on the north bank (Eeserve side), the 

 natives of which trap extensively, and hunt with bows and 

 Poisoned arrows. There is game south of the river, out of the 

 Reserve further up. A native who passed through two months 

 &go told me that there were zebra and wildebeeste on north bank, 

 but more game south — i.e., out of the Eeserve. There are no 

 People living there, which may account for it. Following the 

 Itendi Eiver, I went on north. Here there were signs of much 

 game in the past, but now there are only a very few individual 

 tressebe and waterbuck, a few duikers, and I saw the spoor of five 

 sable antelopes and four zebras. In forty miles I actually saw 

 iio game whatever, the reason being that during the war and 

 before it this was one of the favourite Boer hunting-grounds, 

 while this winter two separate parties of Boers have shot along 

 the river — one party twice, and the other once. I came on the 

 former party, four Dutchmen with waggons. There was no 

 evidence at the time to show that they were law-breaking, and 

 they assured me that they were only on their way back from 

 shooting in Portuguese territory. Having no status as a J. P. in 

 ■<joutpansberg District, I was unable to do more than warn them. 

 However, two days later, thinking I might learn something more, 

 I rode to their camp, which they had left, and found remains of 

 freshly killed wildebeeste and waterbuck, so that I hope we may 

 get a conviction against them. The natives said that they shot a 

 great deal of game in the Transvaal. Leaving the Itendi, I 

 travelled to Singwitsi Eiver. Here the game near the Portuguese 

 border has been shot out this year by two or three parties of 

 Boers, and there is practically none. I got a good deal of infor- 

 mation from the natives, although they were not very clear, as 



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