154 Great and Small Game of Africa 



in the North Kalahari during the rainless period of South African winter 

 —in the months of June, July, and August— could have had little or no 

 chance of finding surface water. These animals are exceedingly fond of 

 licking at the salt-bracks or pans, so often to be found in South Africa ; 

 and, even in British Bechuanaland, where they are in much more danger 

 from night-shooting than farther north, they will venture, night after 

 night, to lick at the curious, hard white brack-pans to be found here and 

 there. These bracks may be seen hollowed at the edges by the tongues of 

 antelopes and other game during ages of the past. 



When first disturbed and seen moving in their slow paces, hartebeests 

 are very deceptive in appearance. Their drooping quarters, somewhat 

 lumpish aspect, and apparently sluggish action give them a rather mulish 

 appearance, and the new-comer, viewing them for the first time, is by no 

 means disposed to attribute to these antelopes those wonderful powers of 

 galloping which they undoubtedly possess. But when really alarmed and 

 put to it, their paces are extraordinary ; they stretch themselves to their 

 work and, with a long, free, machine-like stride, reel off mile after mile at 

 great speed in a way that, in a long tail-on-end chase, sets defiance to the 

 most gallant hunting horse and the most determined rider. I have person- 

 ally tested the fleetness and staying powers of these fine antelopes on several 

 occasions, and I am bound to confess that of all the plain-frequenting game 

 with which I am acquainted, they are, in a fair gallop, quite the most 

 difficult— nay, hopeless— to run down. On one occasion, in company with 

 other friends, I took part in the chase of a good troop of hartebeests over the 

 dry level plains, thinly afforested with camel-thorn trees, in the neighbour- 

 hood of the Maritsani River, in British Bechuanaland. We pushed this 

 troop hard in a chase of at least seven miles on end, with the result that 

 while we ran our horses to a standstill, the hartebeests, although wheeling 

 round occasionally to have a look at their pursuers, and thereby affording 

 some few long-range shots, easily maintained their lead, and made their 



