388 KLOOF AND KARROO. 



telegraph. The largest antelope of the torrid regions 

 of the Cape they called the eland or elk ; the gnu they 

 named the wildebeest (wild ox) ; the caama, the 

 hartebeest (stag-ox), and so on down the whole gamut 

 of wildly grotesque nomenclature. The oryx they 

 christened gemsbok, which signifies, literally, a 

 chamois, perhaps the most uncouth and far-fetched of 

 the category. The gemsbok, whose Dutch name has 

 clung to it these 200 years, is an antelope of striking 

 characteristics. In size rather larger than an ass — the 

 adult male standing some three feet ten inches at the 

 shoulder — in general colour it is of a greyish buff. 

 Its horns, straight, sharp-pointed, and over three feet 

 long, are deadly weapons of defence ; its form is 

 robust and square, and its port very noble. But its 

 most beautiful point is its head, which is of a pure 

 white, painted with eccentric black markings that 

 exactly and singularly resemble a complete headstall. 

 The breast, stomach, and legs are pure white. A 

 full and beautiful eye, a tuft of thick black hair upon 

 the chest, broad black bands painted upon its back 

 and sides, an erect mane reversed, and a long^ black 

 switch tail, that sweeps the ground, all combine 

 instantly to mark out this magnificent creature from 

 its fellows, upon the broad plains whereon it has its 

 habitat. 



As a beast of the chase the gemsbok stands 

 almost unrivalled. It is possessed of amazing 

 swiftness and bottom, and when turned to bay, 

 its sharp horns and determined charges render it 

 an exceedingly awkward customer should the rifle 

 not be held straight. Of all the antelopes, with 

 perhaps the exception of the Zwart-wit-pens (the 

 sable antelope), the oryx alone will face the lion ; 



