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and muscular —is especially adapted for traversing the rugged regions that it frequents. Not less vigilant than active, its 
wary troops were ever most difficult of approach=-the bare mountains crowned with wooded terraces that form the strong- 
hold upon which, when disturbed, they invariably sought an asylum, proving alike impracticable to the sportsman, whether 
equipped in pedestrian or in equestrian order; and some time had elapsed before I accidentally ascertained the species to be 
so utterly destitute of foot—that if detected in the open glades, or among the slightly wooded downs, to winithy morning 
aud evening they resort, the bulls especially may be ridden down upon an inferior horse in a quarter of a mile! For 
this singular fact I was the less prepared, from having previously ascertained, the speed and bottom of the true Gemsbok,— 
an animal which is scarcely less heavily built—to be unrivalled among the larger antelopes. 
On the day of our first arrival in the valley of the Limpopo, being myself busily engaged in the waggons with the 
head of a Hartebeest, there arose among the Hottentots, a sudden ery of daar lope een Bastard Gemsbok ;* and looking 
forth, I could perceive the cunning fellow's broad roan back gleaming in the evening sun-beams, as he ran through the 
grazing herd of oxen, and clambered up the steep accliyity, But although I lost not a single moment, he contrived to 
beat me to a deep chasm, wherein having failed to redeem the trail, the honour of slaying him Was reserved for Fre- 
derick Dangler, the laziest, but most successful pot-shooter amongst our followers. _ As this worthy was watching our little 
flock early the next morning from behind the ambush of an old grey stone lying at the foot. of the mountains, the iden- 
tical individual — easily recognized by a broken horn —reversing the order of things, paid the shepherd a visit, and under- 
went _the penalty of its singular rashness. During the greater part of our journey, it was iinfortunately requisite to furnish 
the Hottentots with ammunition for their self-protection whilst herding the cattle, and their incessant firing, which no remon- 
strance could ‘control, soon disturbing the whole of the game in our neighbourhood, we generally found it useless to sojourn 
more than one day at the same place. Compared with the quantity of alle and lead expended by these Nimrods, it 
must be confessed, that the number of animals they accounted, for was extremely limited. Very unlike fidleed were their 
exploits to those of ‘Robyn Hoode’s brave fellowes in merry Shirewood’ 
> - * Who knew full well Hr tyme of neede 
To apme their shaites Sri 
nevertheless the beasts of the forest having been unmolested all their lives, and quite unaceustomed to the report of the 
gun, fled before their attacks in such dire consternation, that within a few hours after the formation of the camp in a spot 
abounding with game, not a single living quadruped was to be seen, — . 
Although said to be very . expert im carrying the tracks of wild animals, our people proved themselves fat less skilful 
than Asiatics; but I was happily quite independent of their Sasisbance, having from the commencement, of the campaign 
made it a rule to preserve a cast of the foot-print of every Species 2 Tn the seérets of wood-craft, Piet was far 
better versed than any of his more pretending confréres, and besides, being possessed of infinitely more nerve, was the only 
one of the Whole clique upon whom I could depend for the least assistance in the field. The rest were always ready 
enough to go out, that they might obtain a supply of ammunition without the trouble’ of stealing it, and gain, besides, a 
plausible pretext for evading their ordinary duties; but their natural indolence extending ‘itself even to their recreations, they 
they” never hesitated to abandon me at their convenience, either to solace themselves with a pipe, or to he the com- 
mon description of game which could be circumvented with little exertion. In all subjects eonfected with tracking, the sava- 
ges proved far more quick and discerning, but unhappily they never accompanied us beyond the carcase of the first large 
quadruped slain, whereupon haying gorged themselves to repletion, they fell fast asleep over the’ fire. Notwithstanding that 
the foot-marks of many wild beasts so closely resemble each other, that few European eyes would detect the difference, the — 
African savage, when fasting especially, can distinguish them with unerring certainty — poring over all ambiguous impressions 
until the doubt has been solved to his owns satisfaction, and from his intimate acquaintance with every, the most minute, 
circumstance connected with the habits of each race, rarely failing to Sagan with the greatest exactness the length of 
time that has elapsed since the anitnal’s transit. ' 
We were ‘returning one drizzly morning from the slaughter of sundry Hippopotami, when the fresh spoor of a solitary 
Gemsbok drew our attention upon the wet soil, and presently afterwards a ‘ pryme bueke’ was. descried sheltering himself 
beneath a spreading mimosa—his great lob ears drooping like those of a jackass, and the raim-drops trickling from their 
extremities. The channel of a ravine favouring my approach, he had. but a few .seconds to live, and scarcely had he fallen, 
before the Hottentots ran up to inguire if ‘ Sir had not seen the Rhinoster ?™ Retracing my steps, I then ascertained from 
the deep trefoil prints in the mud, that whilst 1 ae intent upon my work I had acttally passed a few yards only from 
the nose of one of those animals, without being aware of its hateful presence. — e : 
Fifteen noble bucks composed the largest herd of Equinas seen during our expedition, and after following them several 
hours on foot, without once piteinipe a shot, | ascended a lofty hill near the source of the Umpeban, and thence marked 
them into a shallow ravine carpeted with turf and threading a sequestered valley. Rightly concluding that they proposed 
to tarry there during the heat of the day, I went back for my horse, and sending a party of savages to urge them gently 
* Angi, There goes a Roan Antelope, 
