102 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFKICA. 



accordingly, I outspanned at a considerable distance from 

 it, and at once set about making a hole from which to 

 shoot the game as they came up to drink. 



After breakfast on the 16th I rode to the water and 

 again lay in my hole. There were large herds of game 

 standing within a few hundred yards of me when I lay 

 down, and soon after the horses had disappeared they 

 came on from all sides and completely surrounded me. 

 It was of no consequence that they got my wind, and 

 frequent alarms were sounded — the thirsty game to 

 windward would not heed the alarm, and, standing 

 their ground fearlessly, they gave the others confidence 

 There was standing within shot of me at once about 

 three hundred pallahs, about twelve sassaybies, and 

 twenty zebras. I could only make out two very fair 

 heads in all that vast herd of pallahs, and these were 

 not to be compared with my best Soobie heads ; I there- 

 fore amused myself by watching the game, and did not 

 fire, having resolved to wait quietly, in the hope of some 

 rarer 'game appearing, such as koodoo, sable antelope, 

 or wild boar, &c. At length I observed three shy, 

 strange-looking antelopes approach the ~ water, with 

 large bushy tails, and furry-looking reddish-gray hair. 

 They were three rhooze-rheeboks, a buck and two does. 

 I had never before heard that either of the rheeboks 

 frequented these parts ; being anxious to certify that 

 this antelope did so, I shot the buck through the heart. 



The next day I again rode to the water and lay down, 

 with large herds of pallahs, &o., in view: soon after the 

 horses were gone, they came. in and surrouiv^ed me, the 

 same as the day before. It was a fine show of game : 

 there were about two hundred pallahs, about fifty blue 

 wildebeests, thirty zebras, a.nd thirty sassaybies, all at 

 once drinking and standing within easy shot of ma 



