A Breath from the Veldt 105 



but the young men don't like this job, and are making themselves scarce in 

 all directions. Hert and Tace are much afraid of being caught and taken 

 off to fight, and can talk of nothing else. They are therefore doing all they 

 can to make the old man leave me and go off to the Roi Rant. A great 

 nuisance this, as, if he were to go, I should have some difficulty in picking up 

 a decent hunter in Mashonaland who knows the ground ; but, as it would 

 not do to let them read my thoughts, I treat the matter of their going or 

 staying as perfectly immaterial to me. And now I see I have a good friend 

 in the old man, who will stick to me, let the boys say what they may. 



21st May. — Yesterday I was delighted to hear some vaal khoorhans calling 

 apparently close to the waggons in some long grass, and as we had had no 

 meat of any sort for three days I was anxious to kill a brace. After carefully 

 hunting all the ground with Pointer in the immediate vicinity of the calls, 

 no fowl moved save an old white-necked crow, which rose out of the grass 

 and sat on an ant-heap croaking away. Very surprising this, as I knew that 

 Pointer, who was a good dog, could not have missed the birds had they been 

 there. Hardly had I replaced my gun on the waggon when the " kirr-rack " 

 of the male vaal khoorhan sounded loudly from the grass not 300 yards 

 distant. 



This time I waited for the head of the bird to appear above the grass, 

 as I fancied I had marked the exact spot ; but no such head betrayed itself. 

 Still, feeling sure that the birds were there, I walked straight to the spot, 

 when once more rose only the old white -necked crow. Amazed at my 

 failure, and never dreaming that I could be deceived by a crow, I sat down 

 on an ant-heap to reflect, and there I saw the old villain perched on the back 

 of one of the oxen, and heard him squawk in exact imitation of the cry of 

 the khoorhan. The white-necked crow is the " hoodie " of South Africa — 

 a droll and cunning rascal who can readily be taught to acquire the notes of 

 other birds ; but in a wild state they seldom learn this trick. The way that 

 old crow humbugged me to-day I shall not easily forget, though I must say 

 I forgave him the trouble of my hunt when I listened to his peformance, so 

 perfect was the imitation. The bird becomes more abundant as the traveller 

 proceeds northward, as does also the little spur-winged plover commonly 

 known throughout South Africa as the " kitwitjie." The latter are found in 

 small parties in the immediate vicinity of water, the flocks varying in number 

 from four to thirty. They are fond of resting on the well-worn and flat places 

 forming outspanning spots. When in the air they are extremely noisy, and 



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