lyo A Breath from the Veldt 



And here I should like to say a few words about African hunting as it 

 impressed me. To enjoy it a man must have a good firm seat on a horse, good 

 nerve, and at least some knowledge of natural history. These three qualifica- 

 tions are absolutely essential to anyone who means to kill game himself 

 Without them he can do nothing, but with them and with unlimited 

 patience he will sooner or later stand over any beast he longs to possess. He 

 need only be a very ordinary rifle shot to commence with, for months of hard 

 exercise and plain living will work wonders with his shooting ; and, with good 

 luck, he may at any rate obtain specimens of all the larger game in a year's 

 hunting. Being a fine rifle shot is not, therefore, a sine qua non, as it is in some 

 other parts of the world ; a man who is a fine and fearless rider, has quick percep- 

 tion and good eyesight, and is a moderate shot, will do twice as well in Africa 

 as a first-class rifle shot who is lacking in the other qualities. All the most 

 successful African hunters have been generally very ordinary shots, though well 

 qualified in other respects and very strong, as a man must be to stand the wear 

 and tear of veldt life. The life may be roughly described as follows : You rise 

 on the first paling of the sun in the eastern horizon, when the cocks are trying 

 to crow beneath the waggon ; tell your black boy to make up his fire and put 

 the kettle on to boil. There is no need to bother yourself as to " whether it's 

 dry, or whether it's hot ; as you've got to weather it, whether or not." Blessed 

 Africa ! it is always going to be a fine day there — sometimes too fine. You 

 dress yourself quickly, see that your horse has his morning feed of mealies or 

 KajEr corn, and swallow your own breakfast of tea and buck with a gusto such 

 as only a hunter when the breath of the veldt is upon him knows anything of 

 Another ten minutes, and you and your companion have lighted your pipes, 

 seen to your rifle and cartridges, skinning-knife, etc., and are in the saddle and 

 heading for the nearest bush. If you are in a " Thirst " country, you take, of 

 course, a water-bottle, and never go out without matches, as you never know 

 when you will get back. Suppose, now, that you have viewed a troop of buck ; 

 they will generally move a few steps forward on seeing you, and then you and 

 your companion will have time to see if the old ram's head is any good. If it 

 is, dismount quickly and take as steady a shot at hirn as you can — he is 

 generally standing broadside on to you from fifty to a hundred yards oflf — and 

 then, unless the animal is so hard hit that you can readily get up to him on 

 foot, jump on to your horse as soon as possible, canter quickly after him, and 

 try to find out the efi^ect of your shot. By remounting at once you can see 

 directly the line of the animal's retreat, and, whether he be slightly wounded 



