A Breath from the Veldt 



12-5 



hanging in mid-air at a vast height — probably from two to three miles above 

 the earth — keep watch, each of them, over an enormous stretch of country. 

 Presently one of them spies food, and instantly begins to sink towards it. 

 Thereupon his next neighbour in the airy heights, sailing leisurely through 

 the blue gulf, at a distance perhaps of some miles, follows his example, 

 knowing that food has been sighted. Down he goes, and all the vultures 

 within sight of him follow after, and so do all those in sight of them. In this 

 way the vultures for twenty miles round can be summoned to the feast in a 

 few minutes." 



At Toca Spring, where the water is salt, we encountered some black 

 hunters who had just come out of the Mashona country. They had been 

 hunting for a month, and had killed nine koodoos and six sable antelopes, etc., 

 and told us that we should find sable plentiful — the animal I most desired to 





ait- u.y,/k.f 





shoot. At the Drift they had paid one sable skin by way of licence — rather a 

 come-down after the X^200 licence talk that I have heard for some time 

 past. 



As there were several kopjies (hills) about, I thought I should not lose 

 myself, so went for a long round on Jimmy by myself Just as I was turning 

 to make for camp again I came across a great deal of fresh koodoo spoor, and 

 shortly afterwards started a troop of six cows, one of whom I fired at as she 

 crossed in front of me about sixty yards. She fell at once to the shot, but got 

 up and went off slowly after the troop just as Jimmy took it into his head to 

 make for camp on his own account. It was a sweltering hot day, and I used 

 every conceivable dodge to circumvent and catch him, only to discover after 

 half an hour's running about, and considerable loss of temper, the futility of 

 chasing a horse that has once got loose. At last I managed to get in front of 

 the runaway and waited till he started feeding, when I quietly crept up and 



