e wells beyond Letloche, at a spot named Kanne, we
found them carefully hedged round by the people of a Bakalahari village
situated near the spot. We had then sixty miles of country in front
without water, and very distressing for the oxen, as it is generally
deep soft sand. There is one sucking-place, around which were
congregated great numbers of Bushwomen with their egg-shells and reeds.
Mathuluane now contained no water, and Motlatsa only a small supply, so
we sent the oxen across the country to the deep well Nkauane, and half
were lost on the way. When found at last they had been five whole days
without water. Very large numbers of elands were met with as usual,
though they seldom can get a sip of drink. Many of the plains here have
large expanses of grass without trees, but you seldom see a treeless
horizon. The ostrich is generally seen quietly feeding on some spot
where no one can approach him without being detected by his wary eye. As
the wagon moves along far to the windward he thinks it is intending to
circumvent him, so he rushes up a mile or so from the leeward, and so
near to the front oxen that one sometimes gets a shot at the silly bird.
When he begins to run all the game in sight follow his example. I have
seen this folly taken advantage of when he was feeding quietly in a
valley open at both ends. A number of men would commence running, as
if to cut off his retreat from the end through which the wind came; and
although he had the whole country hundreds of miles before him by going
to the other end, on he madly rushed to get past the men, and so was
speared. He never swerves from the course he once adopts, but only
increases his speed.

When the ostrich is feeding his pace is from twenty to twenty-two
inches; when walking, but not feeding, it is twenty-six inches; and
when terrified, as in the case noticed, it is from eleven and a half to
thirteen and even fourteen feet in length. Only in one case was I at all
satisfied of being able to count the rate of speed by a stop-watch, and,
if I am not mistaken, there were thirty in ten seconds; generally
one's eye can no more follow the legs than it can the spokes of a
carriage-wheel in rapid motion. If we take the above number, and twelve
feet stride as the average pace, we have a speed of twenty-six miles an
hour. It can not be very much above that, and is therefore slower than
a railway locomotive. They are sometimes shot by the horseman making a
cross cut t