38 A Breath from the Veldt 



heard his rifle going. Hardly had he disappeared than a big troop of spring- 

 buck came past me within 1 50 yards, all moving at their best pace, some spring- 

 ing high in the air and going over each other's backs in their anxiety to get out 

 of danger's way. I now had my hands full, and blazed away pretty considerably, 

 wounding one animal, which, however, appeared able to follow the rest ; so I 

 left him for the present and endeavoured to check the tide of the troops as 

 best I could, getting a shot here and there whenever an animal stood and 

 looked back. The very last buck of the lot, an old ram, stood just as I was 

 about to climb into the cart again, and offered me a good chance at about 400 

 yards, and I had the satisfaction of seeing him roll over stone-dead as the bullet 

 reached him. He was a splendid old fellow with a fine head, and I need hardly 

 say I was greatly pleased at my good fortune. To save time, I grallocked him 

 and threw him into the cart as quickly as possible, and I had hardly done this 

 when up rode Mr. Fraser, one of our party, to tell me that he had seen the buck 

 which I had previously wounded, and that he thought I should probably get it 

 if I retraced my steps a short distance. This William and I did, and we shortly 

 spotted the poor creature going along with his head down and looking very bad, 

 so I concluded we should have little trouble with him, However, as I dis- 

 mounted from our cart at about 200 yards' distance from the buck, he woke up in 

 the most extraordinary fashion and went off in his best style, continuing his 

 series of springs until he was almost out of sight on the horizon. I therefore 

 deemed it useless to follow him.^ This necessitated a considerable detour for me 

 to get back to the line, and on the way I met Maloney, just as we were going 

 to outspan and cook breakfast. He had had very bad luck, and had wounded 

 two bucks and lost them both. Then more chops and coffee ; and how delicious 

 they were, too, with the crisp morning air as an appetiser, and afterwards a rest 

 and a smoke under the welcome shade of the mimosa thorns. 



Now, springbuck-hunting in a cart is all very well for one day, but a 

 second day of it, with all the gymnastic performances necessary to maintain 

 anything like a seat is a weariness of the flesh, however good and exhilarating 

 the sport. The rider is painfully reminded of what happened the day before, 

 and of morning experiences to follow it ; for unfortunately there is a next 

 morning. It is just this next morning business, dear readers, I should strongly 

 counsel you to avoid ; unless, that is to say, you have no objection to taking 

 your meals standing for a few days. You can avoid this to some extent by 



1 Springbuck, for their size, are probably the toughest animals in the world, and are said to have been 

 known to carry away as many as four Martini bullets when not absolutely placed in a vital spot. 



