STALKING SABLE ANTELOPES. 211 



mountain, steering to go past the fountain. I then fired 

 a signal shot, which brought them up. This unlucky 

 shot started away two bull elephants which were feedv 

 ing in the thorn cover close beneath me. I drew up 

 my wagons in an open spot more than half a mile from 

 the fountain, wait-a-bit thorns forbidding our nearer ap- 

 proach. 



The 17th was a very cool and cloudy day ; I took an 

 early breakfast, and then held northeast, close in under 

 the mountain range, accompanied by Kapain and a 

 party of Bakalahari, to seek elephants. 



We fell in with immense herds of zebras and buffa- 

 loes, numbering between three' and five hundred in 

 each herd, and toward evening with a numerous herd 

 of elephants, when I killed one of the finest after an 

 easy chase. 



After several unsuccessful stalks for sable antelope, 

 I at length met with the success my perseverance de- 

 served. Returning in the afternoon of the 20th home- 

 ward, I suddenly observed a herd of about ten of them 

 in thick cover on the mountain's ridge. I commenced 

 ascending the rugged acclivity as fast as I could, for the 

 daylight would be gone in a very short time. When 

 I had got within two hundred yards of them, I found it 

 almost impossible to get in any nearer, as I must cross 

 a stony flat in sight of several of the ever- wary does ; 

 it was, moreover, now so late that I could not well see 

 the sights of my rifle. I had almost resolved not to dis- 

 turb them, and to return to camp : on second thoughts, 

 however, I resolved to give it a trial. I made a suc- 

 cessful stalk, and crossed this dangerous rocky flat un- 

 observed. There was no moss nor heather under my 

 knees, but a mass of sharp, adamantine fragments of 

 rook, yet this I did not heed. 



