BURCHELL'S ZEBRA 



hands of the enemy. Close at his heels rode the 

 hunter. On they sped, straight for the fence. 

 Ten feet from it the Zebra paused. ' What was 

 to be done? ' It was only 'a second, that pause; 

 but the horseman was beside him, out of the saddle, 

 and on to his head, with two brawny hands gripping 

 him by the ears. With a wild and uncontrollable 

 bound, the Zebra hurled himself and his assailant 

 into the wire fence, where, kicking and struggling, 

 shouting and snorting, the two spent a really magnifi- 

 cent five minutes — ^well worth remembering. The 

 hunter had the Zebra by the ears, and would not 

 let go. The wire fencing had the hunter and Zebra 

 , by the arms, legs and necks, and would not let go, 

 and the barbs were doing a brisk business with both 

 of them. How long this would have gone on it is 

 impossible to say, had not the redoubtable captor 

 of the first Zebra come to his relief. Jumping off 

 his horse, and taking in the situation ^t a glance, he 

 seized two stones, and with two or three sharp 

 blows, he cut the wires, bundled man and Zebra 

 through the opening thus made, threw his own 

 enormous weight into the melee, and there was the 

 Zebra on the ground, with one man on his head, 

 and another on his haunches. Meanwhile, other 

 horsemen were rolling up in hot haste. Headstall 

 and ropes were soon fixed on the captive Zebra — 

 a fine young stallion of about two years. His 

 captors moved off to the ends of the ropes. He 

 leapt to his feet, and thereafter kept everybody 



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