exclaimed Bella. "See, it has got small
horns, and looks a graceful creature."

"It must be an antelope of some sort," said Kate; "but they will tell
us."

The boys, who were coming up the hill, soon reached the hut. "We have
got a koodoo! It is for you, Bella," they exclaimed in the same breath.
"Chickango and Igubo caught it this morning, and have given it to us;
but we are to take great care of it. See, it is already almost tame,
but if we were to let it go it would soon be off." Kate made a sign to
them. They both stopped and looked eagerly at me.

"O Andrew, how glad I am to see you sit up," cried Natty, on discovering
that I knew them. "We were very unhappy about you; but now you will
soon be yourself again, and till you are well enough to go about, our
koodoo will give you plenty of employment, for Chickango says he
requires careful nursing, just like one baby. We are to feed him with
milk, and in a little time he will become as tame as Chico, though he
will not play so many funny tricks, perhaps."

The little koodoo, when brought up to Kate and Bella, allowed itself to
be stroked, and put out its tongue and licked their hands, though I saw
from its startled eye and the tremor in its slender legs that it was as
yet far from happy in its captivity. In a short time David came in, and
after he had congratulated me on my improved looks, examined the little
animal.

"Yes, indeed, it is a pretty creature," he observed; "but the full-grown
one is still more beautiful. I saw several two mornings ago, which had
taken shelter during the night in a thick wood which clothes the side of
the hill at a short distance from this, and as they did not perceive me,
I was able to observe them at leisure. The female is without horns, but
the male has magnificent spiral ones upwards of three feet in length,
which rise erect from his exquisitely-formed head, and give him an air
of nobility and independence. The animal is about four feet high at the
shoulder, and the general colour is a reddish grey, marked with white
bars over the neck and croop. When walking slowly its action is very
graceful. While watching the beautiful creatures I caught sight of a
leopard lurking in the neighbourhood. I fired just in time to save the
life of one towards which he was stealing. I missed the leopard, for I
was at a considerable distance; but the report frightened the koodoos,
and away they went, leaping over bushes, stones, and al