150 
AFRICAN HUNTING. 
to life in a colony, and I received a most hearty 
welcome, which is more than half the battle. There 
are lots of game. here, and a nice thorny country. 
I like the place much, and shall probably stay ten 
days or more, as the oxen are fairly used up. 
Ylth .—Had a long ramble to-day; shot a fall raebuck 
and springbuck, and saw plenty of guinea fowls. 
The horses got frightened by a hyena last night and 
took themselves off. I heard them galloping, but it was 
too dark to follow. I have only recovered four as yet, 
but two Jouberts and a Kaffir are now out looking for 
the rest. I think they must have taken the road back, 
as I have been up to the highest hills and can see 
nothing of them. There is a severe frost every night, 
and we have a baking-pot full of fire in the house, 
and huddle around it in the evenings just as we do 
at home — something new for Africa. 
When I arrived, my host and his family, who are 
capital hunters, were almost out of ammunition. Franz 
had killed, mirabile dictu , with the same bullet, three 
or four hartebeest bulls, the shyest and most difficult 
of approach of all the antelope tribe, and very tough 
also. He was off at daylight, sparing neither time 
nor trouble in stalking till he made sure of his shot, 
putting just sufficient powder to drive the bullet 
through to the skin on the other side, then cutting it 
out and reloading. Each skin was worth to him 
about twelve to fifteen shillings when tanned. Poor 
fellow ! he met with a sad accident shortly after. The 
lions killed his horse in the middle of the day, a very 
