A Breath from the Veldt 235 



mouths to open. Brenke had not had a proper run since the day at the 

 buffaloes, so I expected him to be in better fettle than he was. It was therefore 

 not a little discomforting to find him beginning to blow and labour considerably ; 

 but after some hesitation I determined on one more try to get up close. Calling 

 on him for a final effort, he responded nobly ; but now I saw, to my dismay, that 

 the roans also woke up, except a big fat cow who was blowing like a grampus, 

 and whom I now felt sure I should bag. The hunt continued long after this, 

 as we got among the sluits again, v/here the game had the best of it, and it was 

 all I could do to keep Brenke on his legs, as he was now fairly played out and I 

 began to think my chance would not come. In the last two gulches, however, 

 the strain of galloping uphill and down had told so severely on the big heavy 

 antelopes that (as I saw) they were quite played out too, and could only go a 

 short distance farther. And now, having chased them as nearly as I could guess 

 about four or five miles, I saw the roans approaching another of those dry water- 

 courses about seventy yards distant, and after one more effort I reached the near 

 side bank just as they topped the summit on the other side. The fat cow came 

 last, and though obviously pumped out, she did not stop, but turned to go on 

 at once ; so I had to fire an end-on shot at her, which is generally an unsatis- 

 factory one. By the way she staggered about and nearly came down, I saw she 

 was struck badly through the left haunch, and thinking I should have no 

 more difficulty with her, I ran down the bank and by main force hauled Brenke 

 over the sluit, he was so done. Then, as I topped the farther bank, I got a 

 glimpse of the wounded beast walking away amongst some small trees to the 

 left of the troop, which had now disappeared ; so starting once more on my 

 weary nag, I got within forty yards of the antelope, which I now saw was a 

 very fine one, when Brenke stumbled and fell from sheer exhaustion, rolling me 

 over in the long grass and filling the muzzle of my rifle with sand. Seeing, 

 therefore, that nothing more could be got out of the horse, I ran after the roan, 

 after clearing the barrel of my rifle with a stick and the breach with a good 

 blow down : and then ensued a most exasperating foot-chase. Before I could 

 get a fresh cartridge in, the animal stood well twice, and then, just as I was in a 

 position to stop her, away she went, with only three legs at her command. All 

 this time the light was failing rapidly, for the sun had set some minutes, and 

 (as every one knows) there is little or no twilight in hot countries. And now 

 I ought, of course, to have given up the chase and returned next day ; but fear- 

 ing I might not be able to retrace my steps to the spot again, I foolishly ran on 

 until the wounded beast getting amongst rocky ground, I knew that if I went 



