46 ACROSS MONGOLIAN PLAINS 



had been swallowed utterly as though by the magic 

 pocket of a conjurer. 



Mac had not participated in the fun, for it had 

 been a one-man race. Fifteen minutes later, however, 

 we had a "free for aU" which gave him his initiation. 



An extract from Yvette's "Journal" gives her im- 

 pression of the chase: 



"Some one pointed out the distant, moving specks 

 on the horizon and in a moment our car had left the 

 road and started over the plains. Nearer and nearer 

 we came, and faster and faster ran the antelope string- 

 ing out in a long, yellow line before us. The speedome- 

 ter was moving up and up, thirty miles, thirty-five 

 miles. Roy was sitting on the edge of the car with his 

 legs hanging out, rifle in hand, ready to swing to the 

 ground as soon as the car halted. Mr. Coltman, who 

 was driving, had already thrown on the brakes, but 

 Roy, thinking in his excitement that he had stopped, 

 jumped — and jumped too soon. The speed at which 

 we were going threw him violently to the ground. I 

 hardly dared look to see what had happened but some- 

 how he turned a complete somersault, landed on his 

 knees, and instantly began shooting. Mr. Coltman, his 

 hands trembling with the exertion of the drive, opened 

 fire across the wind shield. As the first reports crashed 

 out, the antelope, which had seemed to be flying before, 

 flattened out and literally skimmed over the plain. 

 Half a dozen bullets struck behind the herd, then as 

 Roy's rifle cracked again, one of those tiny specks 

 dropped to the ground. 



