their fore-legs. They were as big as ponies, said Jan, and very like
ponies. They curvetted and capered about just as ponies do sometimes.
Truey thought that they looked more like lions!

"Lions!" ejaculated her father and Hendrik, with an accent that
betokened alarm.

Indeed, they reminded her of lions, Truey again affirmed, and Totty said
the same. "How many were there of them?"

"Oh! a great drove, not less than fifty." They could not have counted
them, as they were constantly in motion, galloping from place to place,
and butting each other with their horns.

"Ha! they had horns then?" interrogated Von Bloom, relieved by this
announcement.

Certainly they had horns, replied all three.

They had seen the horns, sharp-pointed ones, which first came down, and
then turned upwards in front of the animals' faces. They had manes too,
Jan affirmed; and thick necks that curved like that of a beautiful
horse; and tufts of hair like brushes upon their noses; and nice round
bodies like ponies, and long white tails that reached near the ground,
just like the tails of ponies, and finely-shaped limbs as ponies have.

"I tell you," continued Jan, with emphasis, "if it hadn't been for their
horns and the brushes of long hair upon their breasts and noses, I'd
have taken them for ponies before anything. They galloped about just
like ponies when playing, and ran with their heads down, curving their
necks and tossing their manes,--ay, and snorting too, as I've heard
ponies; but sometimes they bellowed more like bulls; and, I confess,
they looked a good deal like bulls about the head; besides I noticed
they had hoofs split like cattle. Oh! I had a good look at them while
Hans was loading his gun. They stayed by the water till he was nearly
ready; and when they galloped off, they went in a long string one behind
the other with the largest one in front, and another large one in the
rear."

"Wildebeests!" exclaimed Hendrik.

"Gnoos!" cried Swartboy.

"Yes, they must have been wildebeests," said Von Bloom; "Jan's
description corresponds exactly to them."

This was quite true. Jan had correctly given many of the characteristic
points of that, perhaps, the most singular of all ruminant animals, the
wildebeest or gnoo (_Catoblepas gnoo_). The brushlike tuft over the
muzzle, the long hair between the fore-legs, the horns curving down over
the face, and then sweeping abruptly upward, the thick curving neck, the
rounded, co