CHAPTER XLL 
A GAZELLE HUNT. 
Descending by a rough and stony path, we commenced 
our march across the great plain of Esdraelon. There was 
little to relieve the monotony of this part of our journey; 
sharp gusts of wind swept over the plain, and the only sounds 
we heard were the lowing of cattle at a distance and the rat¬ 
tling of the withered weeds along our path. By accident 
somebody in the party who had the gun let it off at the right 
time and killed a hawk; and occasionally a gazelle would 
start up and bound off over the plain. On one of these oc¬ 
casions the excitement was so strong that it came well-nigh 
costing us more than the game would have amounted to had 
we succeeded in capturing every gazelle within a range of 
ten miles. It was the first time we Frangi had seen this 
beautiful animal in its native wilds; and so impressed were 
we by the remembrance of the “ gazelle-like eyes” we had 
left at home, that we agreed to capture one if we could, dead 
or alive. With this determination the tall Southerner took 
Yusef’s double-barrel gun, well loaded with slugs; the En¬ 
glish Captain a stick to make his horse run them down; my¬ 
self nothing at all, because I was not skilled in hunting; but 
I had a penknife in my pocket, with which it was possible I 
might be called upon to bleed somebody in case of a bruise 
or fracture. Yusef had his small gun, his Allen’s revolver, 
sword, daggers, knives, and other arms. Thus equipped for 
the chase, we rode along keeping a sharp look-out among the 
weeds on,each side of the path. It was an anxious time, for 
every moment we expected to see a fine herd of gazelles 
bounce up. But not the sign or shadow of a gazelle was to 
