BLESBOKS AND WILDEBEESTS 
wind, every other herd in view follows them; and the alarm extending for 
miles and miles down the wind, to endless herds beyond the vision of the 
hunter, a continued stream of blesboks may often be seen scouring up 
wind for upward of an hour, and covering the landscape as far as the eye 
can see. The spring>oks, which in equal numbers frequent the same 
ground, do not, in general, adopt the same decided course as the blesboks, 
but take away in every direction across the plains, sometimes with flying 
bounds, beautifully exhibiting the long, snowy-white hair with which their 
backs are adorned, and at others walking slowly and carelessly out of the 
hunter’s way, scarcely deigning to look at him, with an air of perfect inde- 
pendence, as if aware of their own matchless speed. 
“The blesbok is one of the finest antelopes in the world, and is allowed 
to be the swiftest buck in Africa. He, nevertheless, attains very high con- 
dition, and at this period was exceedingly fat. I was surprised and de- 
lighted with the exquisite manner in which his beautiful colors are blended 
together. Nothing can exceed the beauty of this animal. Like most other 
African antelopes, his skin emitted a most delicious and powerful perfume 
of flowers and sweet-smelling herbs. A secretion issues from between his 
hoofs which has likewise a pleasing perfume. 
“The black wildebeests, which also thickly cover the entire length and 
breadth of the blesbok country, in herds averaging from twenty to fifty, 
have no regular course, like the blesboks. Unless driven by a large field 
of hunters, they do not leave their ground, although disturbed. Wheeling 
about in endless circles, and performing the most extraordinary variety of 
intricate evolutions, the shaggy herds of these eccentric and fierce-looking 
animals are forever capering and gamboling round the hunter on every 
side. While he is riding hard to obtain a family shot of a herd in front of 
him, other herds are charging down wind on his right and left, and, having 
described a number of circular movements, they take up positions upon 
the very ground across which the hunter rode only a few minutes before. 
“Singly, and in small troops of four or five individuals, the old bull 
wildebeests may be seen stationed at intervals throughout the plains, stand- 
ing motionless during a whole forenoon, coolly watching with a philosophic 
eye the movements of the other game, eternally uttering a loud snorting 
noise, and also a short, sharp cry which is peculiar to them. When the 
hunter approaches these old bulls, they commence whisking their long white 
tails in a most eccentric manner; then springing suddenly into the air, 
they begin prancing and capering, and pursue each other in circles at their 
utmost speed. Suddenly they all pull up together to overhaul the intruder, 
when two of the bulls will often commence fighting in the most violent 
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