NIGHT HUNTING. 79 



in, SO we descended from the hills and rpade for home. 

 As we passed down we observed what we took to be a 

 herd of quaggas and a bull wildebeest standing in front 

 of us, upon which we jumped off our horses, and, bend- 

 ing our bodies, approached them to fire. 



It was now quite dark, and it was hard to tell what 

 sort of game we were going to fire at. Strydom, how- 

 ever, whispered to me that jfchey were quaggas, and 

 they certainly appeared to be such. His gun snapped 

 three times at the -wildebeest, upon which they all set 

 off at a gallop. Strydom, who was riding my stallion, 

 let go his bridle, when he ran in to fire, taking advant- 

 age of which the horse set off at a gallop after them 

 I then mounted " The Cow," and after riding hard for 

 about a mUe I came up to them. They were now 

 standing still, and the stallion was in the middle of 

 them. I could make him out by his saddle ; so, jump- 

 ing off my horse in a state of intense excitement, I ran 

 forward and fired both barrels of my two-grooved rifle 

 into the quaggas, and heard the bullets tell loudly. 

 They then started off, but the stallion was soon once 

 more fighting in the middle of them. I was astonished 

 and delighted to remark how my horse was able to 

 take up their attention, so that they appeared heedless 

 of the reports of my rifle. 



In haste I commenced loadmgj but to my dismay I 

 found that I had left my loading-rod with Hendric. 

 Mounting '^JThe Cow," I rode nearer to the quaggas, 

 and was delighted to find that they alloweji my horse 

 to come within easy shot. It was now very dark, but 

 I set off in the hope to fall in with Hendric on the 

 wide plain, and galloped along, shouting with all my 

 might, but in vain. I then rode across the plain for 

 the hill to try to find some bush large enough to make 



