282 KLOOF AND KARROO. 



slaughter. To this I may point out that those of our 

 own race (of course with some exceptions) have more 

 sportsmanHke ideas than other nations, and have not 

 joined in the useless slaughter and skin-hunting 

 forays that the Boers have invariably and incessantly 

 indulged in. 



Perhaps there is no better illustration of Boer 

 wastefulness and of wicked destruction of animal life 

 than the rolling plains of the Orange Free State. 

 Thirty years ago, these plains literally swarmed 

 with Burchell's zebras, quaggas, wildebeesteg (gnus), 

 blessbok, and springbok. The Dutch found that 

 the skins of these animals brought them temporary 

 wealth, and in consequence scarcely a head of game 

 can now be found in that country ; the bones of 

 these beautiful creatures lie literally whitening the 

 veldt — all have vanished, and the life of the Free 

 State Boer is now robbed of half its former charm. 

 In the Cape Colony, English farmers have, to my 

 own knowledge, in many places succeeded in 

 preserving some of the rarer game now left ; and 

 in the case of the koodoo, zebra, and other animals, 

 have actually increased their numbers, as they 

 certainly have prevented their extinction. In the 

 district of Uitenhage, there are certain contiguous 

 farms of Englishmen where the koodoo is preserved, 

 and hunted only a few days in the winter of each 

 year. As a consequence, it is now fairly plentiful ; 

 and it is a curious fact that these koodoos never 

 wander upon the farms of the neighbouring 

 Dutchmen, where their extinction would be quickly 

 and surely wrought. 



It may be doubted exceedingly whether the 

 Dutch, who first landed at the Cape and became 



