328 



A Breath from the Veldt 



cows presented themselves, but the bulls took such uncommonly good care of 

 themselves that their destruction was no easy matter. At last, after mancEuvring 

 and trying every sort of device to approach a fine herd of nearly fifty animals, 

 in which there were no less than four good bulls, I got a chance, and took it — 

 a very long and somewhat fluky shot, the animal I fired at being already in the 

 act of turning away. My bullet, however, cut the tendons above his hind 

 fetlocks, and down he fell. I was now at some distance from my companion. 



STUDY OF A BLACK WILDEBEEST STOPPING 



who had left me lying down behind an ant-heap, and to my surprise, I saw 

 him gaily circling along in the cart till within 300 yards of the animal, when 

 he prepared to come into action with his own rifle. Whether he imagined the 

 beast was going to run away again or not I don't know, but that was his explana- 

 tion when I joined him. On our coming within thirty yards of the wounded 

 wildebeest we were quite astonished with the fury he exhibited. The eyes of 

 this creature, which are at all times wicked, now seemed to blaze with rage ; 

 and I doubt if when wounded there is any animal, excepting a lion, that looks 

 so absolutely savage as the white-tailed gnu. But, poor thing, he had no oppor- 



