DEATH OF COLESBEEG. 25 



freely, but to no purpose. Finding him worse on the 

 morrow, I bled him again, but before mid-day he died 

 in great pain, and shortly after life had departed a co- 

 pious discharge of white foam issued from his nostrils, 

 by which I knew that his illness was the African dis- 

 temper.* 



I had also the mortification to observe that " The Im- 

 mense Brute" was affected, evincing symptoms similar 

 to those of Colesberg, on which I had him caught and 

 bled him freely. About the hour of mid-day we got 

 under way, when I trekked till sundown in a south- 

 westerly course, steering for the mountains of Banjan- 

 gwato. I formed my encampment beside a little fount- 

 ain, whose name I never ascertained. 



* This bittei' scourge of the African sportsman prevails throughout 

 svery district of the interior during the greater part of the year. At 

 no season is the hunter's stud exempt fi-om its jravages ; it is most prev- 

 alent, however, during the summer months, generally commencing 

 with the early rains. There are various opinions among the horse- 

 breeders of the colony regarding its prevention and cure ; but, not- 

 withstanding all that has been done and said, the subject still remains 

 wrapped in utter mystery. The distemper rarely visits districts adja- 

 cent to the sea, and is also unusual in mountain districts. In propor- 

 tion as the traveler advances from the sea, so will he find the sickness 

 prevalent. In all years it is not alike, and every fifth or seventh year 

 it ravages the farms on the frontier districts, where a farmer often loses 

 from fifty to a hundred horses in a single season. Bleeding is gen- 

 erally believed to act as a preventive. When a horse is attacked with 

 it, he almost invariably comes up to his master's wagon, or the door of 

 his dwelling-place, as if soliciting assistance in his deep distress, and 

 when led away to a distance, unless he be secured, the poor animal 

 will continue to return to his master s dwelling. This was the case 

 with my much-lamented Colesberg, cf the free and fiery indomitaole 

 •pint. 



Vol. n.— B 



