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THE STORY OF THE GAZELLE. 
The inclocure is situated near some rivulet or spring to which the gazelles 
resort in summer. When the sport is to’ begin, many peasants assemble and 
watch till they see a herd*of gazelles advancing from a distance toward the 
inclosure. into which they drive them. The gazelles, frightened by the shouts 
of the people and the discharge of the fire-arms, endeavor to leap over the wall, 
but can only effect this at the gaps, where they fall into the ditch outside, and 
are easily taken, sometimes by hundreds. The chief of the herd always leaps 
first, and the others follow him one by one. The gazelles thus captured arc 
immediately killed, and their flesh sold to the Arabs and neighboring Fellahs. 
Of the skin a kind of parchment is made, and used to' cover the small drum 
with which the Syrians accompany some musical instruments or the voice. 
Referring again to the trek of the Springboks: The migration is called 
a trek bokken. So great is the number of animals in these migrations that 
those which happen to get into the rear of the troop are lean and half-starved 
before the migration is concluded, from the advanced ranks cropping the 
scanty pastures almost bare, and thus leaving those behind nearly destitute 
of food; but when the journey is concluded, and the troop begins to retrace 
its steps northward, those which formed the van during the advance are 
necessarily in the rear returning, soon lose their plump condition, and are 
in their turn subjected to want and starvation. During these migrations 
the herds are closely followed by lions, panthers, hyenas and wild dogs, 
which hang upon their flanks and destroy great numbers of them. There 
is perhaps no spectacle in nature more inspiring than a flock of these beauti¬ 
ful gazelles enlivening the dreary brown karroos of South Africa with their 
graceful motions; now leaping perpendicularly upward to the height of six 
or seven feet, displaying at the same time the snowy-white marks on their 
croups, and anon flying over the desert with the speed of a whirlwind. 
