ne gun by turns, at the small birds that had hitherto been left in
peace. I once saw a couple of men watching in intense excitement for a
shot at some poor monkeys, and utterly unconscious that half a dozen
wild elephants were smashing the bush in rage, from a wound given to one
of the herd by my bullet, not a couple of hundred yards from them.

CHAPTER SIX.

ELAND-HUNTING--BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY--TELESCOPIC EYES--LOADING AT A GALLOP--
THE DUTCH BOERS--SPEED OF THE ELAND--ELAND-HUNT--UNSUCCESSFUL RESULT--
SIGNALS OF DISTRESS--AFRICAN NIMRODS--A HERD OF ELANDS--BETTER LUCK THIS
TIME--AN ACCIDENT--THE SLOUGH OF DESPOND--A "STICKS BULLET"--IN AT THE
DEATH--A BIVOUAC--AIR-PILLOWS.

At the cold season of the year the Dutchmen are in the habit of making
excursions into the uninhabited plains in search of the large herds of
elands and hartebeest that are there found. These excursions are made
for the purpose of obtaining a supply of meat, which is dried and
salted: the Boers thereby save their cattle from the knife.

The plains under the Draakensberg Mountains, and near the sources of the
Mooi river, were very frequent hunting-grounds of the Boers who lived
near the Bushman's river. Some of these farmers I had met on former
occasions, and in consequence received an invitation to join their
party, which consisted of Kemp, Pretorius, and five others: we had three
waggons amongst us, and nearly two dozen horses: many Kaffirs and
Hottentots also accompanied us. The country in which we purposed to
hunt was covered with a most beautiful undulating turf.

Late in the autumn of the year the grass, which grows to a great length,
is set on fire either by the Boers or by the Bushmen; tribes of the
latter living near, in the Draakensberg Mountains. The ashes of the
consumed grass make a good manure, and, after a shower of rain, the
young tender grass springs up, and causes the whole plain to look glassy
and brilliant, much like a vast green velvet carpet. The antelopes
scent the fragrance from afar, and come many miles to graze; they then
fall easy victims to the unerring aim of the Bushman's arrow or the
Dutchman's rifle.

The air in this neighbourhood was particularly balmy and pure, cooled by
its transit over the high peaks of the Draakensberg, that already bore
traces of snow in many parts; little cascades could be seen glistening
like silver wire in the different kloofs or ravines that were formed by
the spurs of the mount