A Breath from the Veldt 



^53 



was so large that the other looked like a mere youngster by his side, but I 

 learnt from Van Staden afterwards that he too was an old bull, though but a 

 child in comparison with the larger beast. The vision of those splendid horns, 

 I must confess, made me a bit " rocky," as the big beast swung round to stare at 

 us, and though I managed to lie down and get a shady shot, the only response 

 on the part of the koodoo was to whisk up his tail and gallop off with great 

 bounds. Van Staden said he was hit, and I breathed again, though I did not 

 hear the bullet strike, nor yet the shot he despatched at the retreating animal. 

 We ran on, and kept the animals in sight for some minutes, and then had to 

 slow down, as the heat was so killing. On some rising ground Clas found 



BURCHELL S ZEBRAS AT A PAN 



drops of blood on the grass, and shortly afterwards we saw that the two animals 

 had separated, so Clas and I took up the spoor of one of them, while Prince and 

 Van Staden stuck to the other. It was difficult for the moment to distinguish 

 the spoor of the big bull, as both the animals were still cantering, and the points 

 of the hoofs sunk so far into the ground that the length of the foot was not easy 

 to determine. After going on for some time, and finding no more signs we 

 were on the point of turning back when we heard two shots from Van Staden 

 followed by a shout. 



Knowing what that meant, Clas and I ran as fast as we could in the direction 

 of the sound, and presently came on the old hunter standing over a finer speci- 

 men than I had ever expected to obtain. Following up the spoor, he had come 

 quite suddenly on the koodoo standing under a tree. At sight of the enemy 



