EXCITING CHASE. 103 



neen led by Jacob, and followed. On gaining the ridge, 

 I perceived the gray disappearing over another ridge a 

 fearfully long way ahead. When I reached this point 

 I commanded an extremely extensive prospect, but no 

 living objeotjBvas visible on the desolate plain. 



While deliberating in which direction to ride, I sud- 

 denly heard a pistol shot some distance to my left, 

 which I knew to be Cobus's signal that the oryx was 

 at bay. Having ridden half a mile, I discovered Cobus 

 dismounted in a hollow, and no oryx in view. He had 

 succeeded in riding the quarry to a stand, and I not 

 immediately appearing, he very injudiciously had at 

 once lost sight of the buck and left it. Having up- 

 braided Cobus in no measured terms for his stupidity, 

 I sought to retrieve the fortunes of the day by riding in 

 the direction in which he had left the oryx. The ground 

 here was uneven, and interspersed with low hiUocks. 

 We extended our front, and rode on up wind, and, hav- 

 ing crossed two or three ridges, I discovered a troop of 

 bucks a loi^ way ahead. Having made for these, they 

 turned out to be hartebeests. At this moment I per- 

 ceived three magnificent oryx a short distance to my left. 

 On observing us, they cantered along, the ridge toward a 

 fourth oryx, which I at once perceived to be " embossed 

 with foam and dark With soil," and knew to be the an- 

 telope sought for. Once more we charged her. Our 

 horses had now considerably recovered their wind, but 

 the poor oryx was much distressed ; and after a chase 

 of half a mile, I jumped off my horse and sent a bullet 

 through her ribs, which brought her to a stand, when 

 I finished her with the other barrel. She proved a fine 

 old cow with very handsome horns ; the spot on which 

 she fell being so sterile that we could not even obtain 

 the smallest bushes with which to conceal her from the 



