3 1 6 Great and Small Game of Africa 



up a position overlooking a valley or a series of mountain spurs, and 

 thoroughly examine the ground with your glasses ; at this time your game 

 will be moving about, and will show up conspicuously in the early sun- 

 light. If a troop is discovered, a careful stalk, followed by a steady shot, 

 will make the ram yours — won in true sportsmanlike style ; but if you 

 fail to pick any up after a careful search, clamber halfway down the slope, 

 then follow it round under the krantzes, up wind, keeping just above the 

 line of scattered bush, and throwing stones occasionally into the gullies. 

 Up till 8 a.m. you may expect to find your game standing about, though 

 they will often lie down at once on seeing you ; for this reason the ground 

 ahead, especially the scattered bush -patches, must always be critically 

 examined, paying special attention to any small reddish yellow objects 

 which may be in sight. When two guns are out, one should keep well 

 up on, or just under, the krantzes, the other in line, well down the slope. 

 Mountain reedbuck invariably run either round or obliquely down 

 a hill, seldom climbing as the rhebuck does. When lying down, if 

 they think themselves unseen, they will often permit one to approach very 

 near. A singular instance of this occurred a few years ago when I was 

 shooting on the Drakensberg. Returning on foot to camp in the evening, 

 I saw a fine ram crouch down behind a bush, having made me out. In 

 order to obtain a shot when he jumped up, I had to manoeuvre to the left 

 for about 50 yards over ground which was quite open save for here and 

 there a few scattered "sugar-bushes" ; but I gained my point about 140 

 yards from the ram, which I now saw lay in a little hollow, squeezing him- 

 self into a very small compass. I was in the act of raising my glasses when 

 my eyes tell on the form of a ewe lying flat on the ground, certainly not 

 more than fifteen paces from me. She knew instinctively, however, that 

 she was now discovered, and instantly jumped up, followed by the ram, 

 which fell a moment later to a Metford bullet. To have stalked that ewe 

 intentionally to such close quarters would have been utterly impossible, but 



