A Breath from the Veldt 305 



disproportion between the size of the head and that of the body, the former 

 seeming far too large and clumsy for the clean, pony-like legs and quarters that 

 bear it forward. I noticed too a peculiar trick on the part of this wildebeest. 

 As the animal runs away from the hunter, he keeps frequently screwing his 

 head round to see if his pursuer is coming ; and this without in any way 

 checking the pace. Being very old and in miserable condition, the head of 

 this animal — a good one — was the only thing worth taking to camp. 



That evening, whilst hunting by myself in the thick bush along the river, 

 I came close up to a koodoo bull, which gave me the easiest chance imaginable, 

 for he simply stood and stared at me within twenty yards. I was using a little 

 Eraser rifle with an almost solid bullet, but the big antelope only plunged for- 

 ward about ten yards and fell dead ; on the whole, then, this was one of my 

 most fortunate days. It should, however, have been a good deal better, for I 

 had a fairly easy chance at a waterbuck ram going homewards, but, as bad luck 

 would have it, one of the horns of the koodoo which was on the pommel of 

 the saddle before me got entangled between my leg and the stirrup-leather as 

 I was hurriedly dismounting, and by the time I had half tumbled off, the water- 

 buck was running slowly across me. I must confess I ought to have killed it ; 

 but it got clean away. 



We now gave up all hope of getting a roan bull, and the following day 

 trekked for Gong. There is a long strip of dense mimosa stretching for about 

 five miles along the north side of the great sluit which joins the Bubye near 

 the Blauw Ghat, and along this strip Piet and I determined to hunt parallel to 

 the course of the waggon. To reach this big thicket Piet and I decided to 

 make a detour up the river bank, on the chance of meeting one of the few 

 buffaloes which we knew, by the fresh spoor and droppings, were hereabouts. 

 By the side of these African streams there are generally fairly broad paths made 

 through the thick bush by the game trekking to and from the water, and we 

 had been moving along one of these for some time when a large animal, which 

 I saw at once was a lioness, sprang up from the long grass within ten yards 

 of us, and uttering a low growl, bounded away through the thick bush, 

 where it was impossible to follow her with our horses. She might, however, 

 be tempted to cross the broad open space separating the thick bush from the 

 forest of thorn trees beyond, and so give us a chance ; and in this hope we forced 

 our way in different directions towards the open, having, as we thought, the 

 lioness between us. After she had disappeared I heard her growl twice, and 

 have now no doubt that, diverging to the right or the left, she slipped away 



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