HUNTING OSTRICHES. 77 



assembling to dispute the carcass with me. First came 

 the common black and white carrion crow, then the 

 vultures ; the jackals knew the cry of the vultures, and 

 they too came sneaking from their hiding-places in the 

 rocks and*holeS of the ant-bear in the plains to share in 

 the feast, while I was obliged to remain a quiet spec- 

 tator, not daring to move, as the game was now in 

 herds on every side of me, and I expected to see os- 

 triches every moment. Presently a herd of vdldebeest 

 came thundering down upon me, and passed within 

 shot. I put a bullet into one of these, too far behind 

 the shoulder, which, as is always the case with deer 

 and antelopes, did not seeA to affect him in the slight- 

 est degree; In the afternoon we altered our positions, 

 and sent the boys to drive the plain beside which I had 

 been sitting aU day. The quantity of bucks which 

 were now before our eyes beat all computation. The 

 plain extended, without a break, until the eye could 

 not discern any object smaller than a castle. Through- 

 out the whole of this extent were herds of thousands 

 and tens of thousands of springboks, interspersed wi^i 

 troops of wildebeest. The boys sent us one herd of 

 about three hundred springboks, into which Strydom 

 let fly at about three hundred yards, and turned them 

 and all the rest. 



It was now late in the day, so we made for home, 

 taking up the buck which Strydom had shot in the 

 mornmg. As we cantered along the flats, Strydom, 

 tempted by a herd of springboks, which were drawn up 

 together in a compact body, 'jumped off" his horse, and„ 

 giving his ivory sight an elevation of several feet, let 

 drive at them, the distance being about five hundred 

 yards. As the troop bounded away, we could distin- 

 guish a light-colored object lying in the short heath, 



