A Breath from the Veldt 



219 



our horses the buffalo's marrow-bones and tit-bits, and the zebra skin, we led 

 them away — to find, to our astonishment, on emerging from the bush, that we 

 were within 600 yards of our own camp. This was a great stroke of luck, and 

 we utilised it by inspanning a few oxen and sending off a waggon to fetch the 

 buffalo cow in bodily. 



It was a jolly party that sat round the camp fire that night — buffalo 

 marrow -bones are food for the gods. We fell upon them with appetites 

 worthy of a Guildhall banquet, and our enjoyment was enhanced by the belief 

 that this small troop we had found meant a big herd not far away. Tace and 

 Piet had killed two waterbucks, and Hert and Petrus were away back to Gong. 

 As soon as the sun set we heard lions down the river, and at night a lion came 

 close around our cattle kraal, as we knew by his frequent moans. 



VAN STADEN CRALLOCKING 

 The Boer hunters generally sit in this attitude when engaged In an occupation of this sort. 



The old man and I were a bit late in starting next morning for the buffalo 

 bull. After a long ride, we found to our mortification and disgust, only the 

 marks of a " sleigh pat " (sledge path) where we had left the dead beast. 

 There is an unwrittten Dutch law, and a very just and fair one, that whoever 

 finds a beast dead on the Veldt, ungrallocked, can claim it ; and availing himself 

 of this, a Dutch hunter named Fenter, who had arrived before us, carried off 

 the carcase we had expected to find. The skin was somewhat of a loss, but the 

 hunter was good enough to give me the head, which was all I wanted, fearing 

 lest I should not be so fortunate as to kill another. This little contretemps, 

 however, did not bother us, as my hunter expected to get what buffaloes we 

 required in the next fortnight ; and if they were not obtained at Nuanetsi, we 

 felt sure of meeting with them on the Lundi. 



We got nothing that day, nor the next one, but on returning to camp the 



