34 A Breath from the Veldt 



sun began to touch the western point of the mountains, and we knew that we 

 had only a short time left in which to get our buck if we meant to do so. By 

 this time we had made the great turn towards Mr. Weber's farm, where we 

 were to sleep. The light was also momentarily getting worse, and we had 

 entirely lost touch with our neighbours, as each and all had got scattered after 

 different troops of buck, though all knew where we were eventually to meet, 

 Maloney and I had already turned our horses' heads straight towards the 

 mountains, and we were trotting along slowly amongst some broken sandhills, 

 when we espied a small troop of buck feeding under one of the ridges, and in 

 such a favourable position that the Doctor suggested I should dismount and 

 endeavour to stalk them. They, however, took alarm and moved on to the ridge 

 itself when I had approached within 300 yards of them ; there was nothing left 

 for me but to lie down and take my chance. Good luck favoured me this time, 

 and the bullet told loudly on the quarter of the ram at which I had fired, and 

 in another minute Maloney galloped up with the cart. We gave chase at once 

 to the wounded animal, which left its companions, as wounded animals always 

 do. The Doctor and I had two more shots apiece at the buck, my second 

 one again wounding him slightly underneath, so we decided to "slip the larger 

 greyhound of the two. The dog bounded out of the cart and at once saw and 

 gave chase to his quarry ; and we had all our work cut out to keep the two 

 animals well in view. Now, galloping over the open veldt in a hunting-cart is 

 very exciting, but not at all comfortable. There are big stones sometimes, there 

 are innumerable holes and earths of animals that give way, and there are bushes 

 of various density and size, all of which, if the cart is lightly built, tend to 

 elevate the riders very considerably from their seats, and to create a sensation in 

 the nether region next morning that is the reverse of pleasant. The fact is that 

 in galloping wildly over the Karroo you spend most of your time in the air, and 

 when not there you are hanging on like grim death to an angular and excited 

 dog, two rifles, and a handrail. The excitement is grand ; there is no mistake 

 about it, any more than about the soreness next morning ; as a liver-shaker 

 springbuck coursing with a cart is unrivalled. On this occasion, too, as on 

 others, when anything in the shape of sport or excitement was on foot, my dear 

 TEsculapius betrayed his nationality in more ways than one, keeping me in 

 fits of laughter that added in no small measure to the difficulty of preserving 

 one's balance in the cart. The course lasted about a mile and a half, for the 

 springbuck can move about as well on three legs as on four, and during the run 

 we had a splendid view of the chase throughout. The old dog stuck to his 



