314 
FOREgT AND STREAM. 
The Blue Buck* 
During my residence in South Africa, there was no 
animal which I met oftener, and which excited my in- 
terest more, than the diminutive blue buck of the 
colonists; blau-bok of the Boers, and ipiti of the Zulus. 
Residing on the outskirts of Durban, Natal, and at 
the foot of the Berea Hill, which was covered with a 
densd forest growth, making an ideal haunt for this 
pretty and interesting little bush-loving antelope, I 
constantly met it, on unexpected occasions and fre- 
quently in company with its relative, the duyker-bok 
(diver buck), so called from its rapid manner of diving 
and darting through the densest undergrowth when 
frightened. 
My first meeting with it happened a few days after 
taking possession of my shanty, while I was trying to 
become acquainted with my surroundings. I had 
wandered through the thick woods, to the upper por- 
tion of the hill, just back of my abode, on an intensely 
hot afternoon, and had seated myself at the foot of a 
huge tree, which afforded a refreshing shelter; I had 
lolled back against the massive trunk and was lazily 
puffing a penny clay pipe, when my attention was at- 
tracted by a series of suppressed snorts, just behind me. 
I did not dare to make the attempt of slowly turning 
around the tree, for fear that the action would cause 
the animal to beat a hasty retreat. Therefore, I re- 
mained perfectly quiet for a few moments when, hap- 
pening to cast a look over my right shoulder, I caught 
a partial view through the intervening foliage of a 
huge collard fruit bat, which was swinging from a 
bough not more than ten feet above the ground. In- 
stantly divining that it was the cause of the sounds 
emitted by the animal which I could not see, I re- 
mained perfectly quiet, and awaited developments. My 
patience was not severely tried, as in a few seconds, by 
glancing over my shoulder, I detected a portion of the 
head of a tiny antelope thrust through the leaves, with 
increased snorts, and vigorously striking the earth with 
one of its fore feet. The actions of the antelope did not 
seem to interfere with the slumber of the_ bat, which 
continued motionless and evidently enjoying a deep 
sleep. The blue buck finally became so excited, that 
it passed out from under the foliage into an open 
space, nearly underneath the hanging bat, when it be- 
gan to spring upward, as if it were endeavoring to 
pierce it with its diminutive horns. After making 
several ineffectual attempts, it happened to alight with its 
head turned in my direction, when it caught a glirnpse of 
me and instantly scrambled out of sight and hearing. I 
straightened up and made my way down the_ hill, 
much diverted with my first interview with this inter- 
esting little animal. Henceforth I never wandered in 
the bush without my Winchester, as the incident taught 
me to be constantly on the lookout for game of any 
description, the capture of which thoroughly interested 
me, besides making a welcome addition to my daily 
bills of fare. 
But a short time elapsed before I succeeded in shoot- 
ing one, under somewhat difficult conditions. I had 
gone into the bush to select some slender growths of 
timber, and was in the act of notching several of a 
group with my knife, when my attention was attracted 
by hearing a slight sound— very similar to that which 
I had heard but a short time previously. I cautiously 
kneeled down and gradually managed to lie flat on the 
ground, so that I could peer underneath the foliage 
and past the bodies of the slim trees which surrounded 
me. My maneuver was a complete success, as I found 
myself within full view of three blue bucks, two of 
which were evidently males, preparing to battle for the 
possession of the third one, which was a female. My 
patience was not severely tried, as in a very short time 
they sprang at one another and interlocked horns. 
. Thenceforth it was merely a test of strength, which 
was brought to an end by one gradually pressmg the 
other backward, some eight or ten feet, when the 
weaker one gave up the battle by unlocking his horns 
and rushing somewhat in my direction. During the 
fight my rifle had been firmly held against my shoulder, 
ready to make a shot at any time, and, just as I ex- 
pected, the vanquished one ran but a short distance, be- 
fore he stooped, in order to catch his wind, when a 
bullet dropped him in his tracks, while the conqueror 
and his prize vanished in the thick undergrowth. 
I had just crossed the Tonga River, in Fonda Land, 
when a shortage of fresh meat was reported, and I 
started on a ramble down the banks of the river to 
see if I could replenish the larder. Picking my way 
along cautiously, and keeping a sharp lookout for 
game, I had gone but a few hundred feet when I de- 
tected something moving through the undergrowth just 
ahead of me. Exercising the greatest vigilance, I 
slowly moved forward, and was finally rewarded by 
catching a glimpse of a pair of blue bucks lounging 
along, and nipping of? dainty bits of the foliage. 
Noticing just ahead of them a thin place in the vege- 
tation. I trained the rifle for the spot and awaited the 
appearance of the game. The female was the first to 
reach it, and I was anxiously looking for the male_ to 
follow suit, as I wished particularly to secure him. 
Suddenly I was startled by the whiz of an assegai, and 
the female darted out of sight. Keeping my position 
and awaiting developments, I soon caught sight of a 
Kaffir quickly advancing through the thicket; and so 
intent was he on securing his game, that he did not 
detect my proximity, until I was alongside of him 
just as he was lifting it on to his shoulders. I was 
coolly saluted with the customery "Ugh," and informed 
that he knew of my being in the vicinity, and was on 
his way to my camp, when he fortunately encountered 
the pair of antelopes. His spear had struck the buck 
with such force, just behind the foreshoulder, that its 
head projected on the opposite side. It required but 
a few moments to bargain for his prize and its delivery 
at my bivouac, where he was received with a profusion 
of congratulatory ejaculations, by my Zulu henchmen. 
In my wanderings in the neighborhood, I once en- 
countered a device for trapping blue bucks alive, which 
I ascertained was quite successful. It consisted of a 
long, rough fence of boughs, reeds, etc., with an opening 
in the center, which led the animal into a crate-like 
trap of reeds. I visited it for several days before suc- 
ceeding in encountering the Zulu who had built it. 
Finally, one morning I detected a buck in the trap, and 
had not to wait long before the trapper put in an ap- 
pearance. It did not require much persuasion to in- 
duce him to part with his booty, as I supplemented my 
words with an offer of sufficient coin to purchase at 
the butcher shop in Durban sufficient meat to last him 
for some time. This occurrence was the means of 
my obtaining several other living specimens of this 
beautiful little animal. 
I made it my mission to pass along the fence as 
often as possible, and one morning detected an opening 
underneath, which seemed to have been made by some 
small creeping animal. In order to test if it was a 
regular passageway, I filled the aperture with leaves, 
and on passing along' the next morning I discovered 
that some animal had forced its way through during 
the night. That afternoon I arranged a noose trap, and 
the next morning found that I had been successful in 
snaring a small badger-like animal, which was en- 
tirely new to me. It was the Cape hyrax, a very 
singular genus of mammalia; and in spite of my utmost 
endeavors to secure a living specimen, I was never 
able to do so. Frank J. Thompson. 
Flanking a Wolf, 
I STARTED one day in the summer to ride from a saw- 
mill that the Government had on the North Concho 
River to Fort Chadbourne. This country was on the 
frontier then, and away out on it, too. There was no 
one here except ourselves and the Indians, and the In- 
dians did not want us here. I had to keep a good look- 
out or they might be around here and want me. There 
was a creek that crossed the road I was on just ahead of 
me, it had steep banks that had been cut away at the 
ford, and when coming toward them I would not ap- 
proach them by the road. I could not see if there were 
anyone down near the water; it would just be into an 
Indian's hand, to let me ride down between these banks, 
then when I could not turn my horse in a moment, shoot 
me; but I had been out here about long enough to know 
better than to ride up to where I expected to find In- 
dians before I found out whether they were there or not. 
I left the road a couple of hundred yards before I got 
to the ford, then striking across the prairie, got to the 
creek above the ford, then rode down along the bank. 
When I was still some distance above the ford, about a 
dozen prairie wolves and one loper* wolf ran up fromi 
the water. They told me that there were no Indians near 
here or they would not be here ; and they were not here 
long, either. The coyotes lit out across the prairie be- ■ 
hind me; they might just as well have taken their time 
about it, I would not hurt them; and the big loper left 
on a slow gallop off in the other direction toward 
some low hills on the right of the road. He was a hun- 
dred yards from me now, and was not losing any time 
about getting still further from me. 
At first I thought to let him go. I did not care to run 
my horse , the day was too warm , and I had a long road 
before me yet; but after the loper had got several hun- 
dred yards away I took after him. 
This route was across the grass, and partly up hill. 
There was a long low hill in front of us, and the wolf 
was going to it. If he crossed it I would let him go. I 
knew the country behind the hill, it was a chaparral, a 
prairie covered with low bushes. I might as well hunt a 
needle in a haystack as hunt a wolf here when mounted. 
He ran ahead of me parallel with the hill, but did not 
seem to be going to cross it soon; his hind legs were 
trailing after him as though his back were broken. But 
I had seen lopers before; I knew that there was nothing 
the matter with his back now, there might be if I could 
get close enough to reach him with a pistol, though. A 
carbine was of no use here, I would only be wasting 
ammunition on him if I tried to use it while mounted, 
and I had none to waste. 
When these lopers are run they travel with their head 
turned back and can see what is going on behind them. 
It takes a good horse to run one of them down ; a cart 
horse would have no business here. I had one under me 
that could run them down, though, if I let him out; but 
I did not want to run him to-day to shoot a wolf. I 
might need all the speed he had before night to keep 
from being shot myself. We never could tell out here 
when we might have to get out before a party of In- 
dians, who were too many for one man to stand off. I 
had had to let my horse get up and travel before them 
more than once, and always took good care to have a 
horse that could do it when I wanted it done; so T was 
not fool enough t6 kill a good horse hunting a wolf I did 
not need. 
He kept on ahead of me, just keeping far enough ahead 
to be safe; he was tlot hunting himself; if I had gone 
faster so would he. At last he turned to the left and 
climbing the low hill, disappeared over it. 
r pulled up now to go back, and just then remembered 
that about a hundred yards ahead of me here this hill 
was cut through by a dry ravine; an arroyo it is called. 
It had been made by the water in the wet season break- 
ing through to lower ground. 
That wolf may stop and take a rest behind that hill, I 
thought, then wait to see if I was coming after him. He 
has filled himself with water at. the creek and don't care 
just now to do much more running than he has to do. I 
had served under McClellan long enough to know how 
to execute one of his flank movements — he was heavy 
on the flank movement — and I ought to be able to flank 
a wolf, but would not have any pickets out on his flank; 
his front was what he need look after, and he would be 
doing that himself. I'll flank him. 
I rode down to the arroyo, then turned up it, and soon 
got behind the hill. The wolf was here right enough. 
He stood just at the foot of the hill watching to see if 
I would come over it. He had not seen me yet; so pull- 
ing my horse up here I got ready to let him hear from 
me. Drawing my carbine out of its case under my leg 
I sprung the lever, not making any more noise in doing 
it than was necessary. I meant to fire at him out of the 
saddle. My horse would stand like a rock while I did it. 
I had taught him to stand or lie down if I wanted him 
to. The banks on each side of the gully I was in were 
as high as my saddle; and the bushes that grew on the 
bank between me and the wolf screened me from him. 
He was a little more than a hundred yards away. So I 
aimed at the lower line of his belly, just behind his fore 
leg. I wanted to hit him behind the shoulder; but these 
Spencer carbines carried high at a hundred yards. 
I fired and the wolf fell; but I had not killed him, he 
lay there- clawing around and probably cursing his curi- 
osity now that had led him to stop here, when his better 
judgment had told him to keep moving; he had all 
eastern Texas to keep running in. I had to keep on up 
the ravine for some distance before I found a place 
where I could ride out of it, then I rode over toward 
the wolf. He was still rolling around, and my horse was 
timid about going up to him, so I let him stop thirty 
yards away, then sent three pistol balls over to the wolf. 
Two of them hit him ; the other did not miss him by 
more than a mile, and the wolf lay still. I got off ray 
horse and led him up and examined the wolf. My car- 
bine ball had taken him well back in the flank, it was 
high enough but too far back. One pistol ball cau.ght 
him in the head, another had broken his back. 
I mounted now and rode off. I had wasted nearly an 
hour of the Government's time and about fifteen cents' 
worth of its ammunition, shooting a wolf that I had no 
use for. 
The time I made up many times after this out of my 
own time when I ought to have been asleep, but the am- 
munition was a total loss. 
I need not have lost it, though I might easily have 
found it again had I not forgotten to report it.. 
Nothing is ever totally lost in the army, you can al- 
ways find it on the pay roll if you can't anywhere else. 
Had I reported this loss, the next time I came to sign 
the pay roll, I would have found the legend : "Due the 
United States for ordnance, fifteen cents," staring me in 
the face. While I forgot to report my shortage of am- 
munition I did not forget to replace it and some more 
that I had fired at difi^erent times, and did not want to 
bother the first-sergeant about, the first chance I 
got at his ammunition boxes. Cabia Blanco. 
*Loper, corruption of Sp. lobo, wolf. 
Manitoba Protective Association, 
Winnipeg, Man., April 3. — The Manitoba Game Pro- 
tective Association was organized last evening when 
sportsmen representing Winnipeg and many portions 
of the province met in the Y. M. C. A. auditorium, to 
the number of 75; and after some preliminary dis- 
cussion, officers were elected and steps taken for the 
completion of an o-rganization of a provincial scope, 
which, it is expected, will include all classes of people 
who are interested in the protection and propagation 
of game birds, animals and fish, song birds and the 
forests of the province. Provisions were made for the 
organization of branches of the association in all 
cities, towns and municipalities of Manitoba, all of 
which will work for this one general object. The con- 
stitution and by-laws of the organization are in the 
hands of a committee, and as soon as drafted will be 
sent broadcast throughout the province. 
On the opening of the meeting A. B. Code was 
selected as chairman and J. P. Turner as secretary. 
Mr. Code explained briefly the object of the meeting, 
pointing out the need for a protective association in 
Manitoba, where the great natural game wealth is be- 
ing rapidly depleted by careless and illegal shooting. 
He pointed out the effects of such shooting, illustrat- 
ing his point with the destruction of the buffalo and 
the passenger pigeon. 
The motion for the formation of the Manitoba Game 
Protective Association was made by Rev. J. W. 
Mathieson, of Boissevain, who, in moving, said that 
at a recent meeting of those interested held in that 
town he had been chosen a delegate to the Winnipeg 
meeting, and had been instructed to express the hearty 
accord of the sportsmen of the famous Whitewater 
Lake district in any movement toward the protection 
of game birds and animals. Whitewater Lake had 
suffered from the depredations of game hogs who were 
merely shooting for records or some similar object. 
Already the effects were being felt in the decrease in 
the game supply, and now is the time to work for pro- 
tction. The motion was seconded by Sheriff Inkster, 
and carried unanimously. 
There followed a lengthy discussion on what should 
be considered as the ' requisite officers. All of the 
speakers were unanimous in the idea that all sections 
of the province should be represented and various 
schemes were presented to attain this end. Dr. Mc- 
