28o A Breath from the Veldt 



which we did with fair success. Van Staden took the shot, as I did not care 

 about it, and I thought he was more likely to be successful. He missed, 

 however, and so did I ; but at a fortunate turn the animals became confused, 

 and my companion made a very lucky and pretty shot, breaking the neck of 



a big cow. 



Brenke was now pretty well laden with the pallah and waterbuck heads 

 and koodoo meat, and we reached camp very late and completely fagged out. 

 Though we could not complain of our day's sport, I must confess to a feeling 

 of disappointment at not seeing more of the buffaloes ; still I cherished a hope 

 that they might possibly have returned to the vicinity of our old camp up 

 the river, for we could not follow down the river any further, owing to the 

 donkeys and lack of provisions. 



The following day a strange coincidence happened. Randsberg, hunting 

 out about fifteen miles away in the direction of the spruit where I had the long 

 chase after the roans, had noticed some vultures collecting round what was 

 evidently a dead carcase ; and riding up, had found the body of a big roan 

 antelope cow which had been dead only about a day. He had brought the 

 skin back with him, as it was not much damaged ; and, to my great surprise, I 

 recognised the small bullet-hole made in it by my small "400 express, which I 

 had been using the day I had fallen in with the animals. There could not be 

 the smallest doubt that it was the same cow that I lost when Brenke gave out, 

 as no one but myself would have used so small a rifle as that which I carried 

 that evening in the expectation of finding reedbuck. 



During the two following days we had no luck ; but Randsberg, who was 

 a first-rate shot, killed no less than three waterbuck rams, two koodoos, and a 

 pallah. 



The Nuanetsi may be described as the perfect home of the waterbuck ; 

 even to-day they are the commonest antelopes near the river. In life this 

 buck has a very noble and imposing presence ; he carries his head high in 

 the air, and his long, strong horns and rough neck and hide impart a wild 

 and game look to his general appearance. When seen on the Veldt, the 

 shortness of his legs and his general thick-set look may perhaps suggest the 

 idea that he is a poor mover ; but he is nothing of the sort. In really rough 

 and bad ground he can beat any Basuto pony, for he seems to be quite 

 indifferent to the nature of the country over which he chooses to travel. 



Taken all round, the waterbuck has the largest geographical range of any 

 of the antelopes in Africa. Though commonly classed under no less than four 



