THE NAEBADA valley 51 



I may be allowed to quote a description of tlie pursuit 

 of a master buck, written many years ago, when I myself 

 was in the throes of the " buck fever." 



" I had frequently seen in my rambles over the antelope 

 plains a more than ordinarily magnificent coal-black buck. 

 I had watched him for hours through my ' DoUond,' but 

 my most laborious attempts to reach him by stalking had 

 as yet proved futile. His horns were perfection, of great 

 size, well set on, twisted and knotted like the gnarled 

 branch of an old oak tree. As the sun glanced on his 

 sable coat, it shone like that of a racehorse fit to run 

 for the Two Thousand .Guinea Stakes — in fact, he was 

 the heau ideal of a perfect black buck. Of course, the 

 more difficult the task appeared, the more determined was 

 I that these superb horns should be mine, and that in 

 future I would disregard every buck except the one. He 

 was constantly attended by two does, to whom he con- 

 fidently entrusted the duty of watching over his personal 

 safety — and faithful sentinels they were. They seemed 

 to reheve each other with the precision of sentries, and 

 clever indeed would be the stalker who could approach 

 within many hundred paces ere the warning hiss of the 

 watchful doe aroused the grand signior from his siesta. 

 It was then grand to see the majestic air of the buck, 

 as, after stretching his graceful limbs, he slowly paced 

 towards the object of his suspicion, still too far distant 

 to cause him any alarm. Now he stops, and, tossing his 

 nostrils in the air, snuffs the breeze that might convey 

 to his delicate sense the human taint. Now he lazily 

 crops a blade or two of grass, or scientifically whisks a 

 fly from his glossy haunch with the tip of his horn ; anon 

 he saunters up to one of his partners, and seems to take 

 counsel regarding the state of affairs. Again, as some 

 movement of the distant figure catches his eye, his sudden 

 wheel and prolonged gaze show that, despite his careless 

 mien, not for a moment has he lost sight of his well- 

 known foe. But soon the does begin to take real alarm ; 

 and after fidgeting round their lord, as if to apprise him 

 of the full extent of the danger, trot ofi together towards 



