few minutes not
one was in sight.

The boys thought they had all escaped; but Von Bloom, from his more
elevated position in the tree, could perceive the snouts of several
protruding above the edge of the pit.

On arriving at the spot, to their great satisfaction the hunters
discovered no less than eight full-grown quaggas in the trap--just twice
the number required to mount the party.

In less than two weeks from that time, four of the quaggas were broken
to the saddle, and perfectly obedient to the bit. Of course there was a
good deal of kicking, and plunging, and flinging, and many hard gallops,
and some ugly falls, before it came to this; but both the Bushman
Swartboy and the Bush-boy Hendrik were expert in the _manege_ of horses,
and soon tamed the quaggas to a proper degree of docility.

Upon the very first occasion when these animals were used in the hunt of
the elephant, they rendered the very service expected of them. The
elephant, as usual, bolted after receiving the first shot; but the
hunters on "quagga-back" were enabled to keep him in sight, and follow
rapidly upon his heels. As soon as the elephant discovered that, run as
he would, his pursuers had the power of overtaking him, he disdained to
fly farther, and stood to bay; thus giving them the opportunity of
delivering shot after shot, until a mortal wound brought his huge body
to the earth.

Von Bloom was delighted. His hopes were high, his benignant star was
once more in the ascendant.

He would yet accomplish his design. He would yet be rich. A few years
would enable him to build up his fortune--to construct a pyramid of
ivory!

CHAPTER FORTY.

DRIVING IN THE ELAND.

Of all the family Hendrik was the hunter _par excellence_. It was he
who habitually stored the larder; and upon days when they were not
engaged in the chase of the elephant, Hendrik would be abroad alone in
pursuit of antelopes, and other creatures, that furnished their usual
subsistence. Hendrik kept the table well supplied.

Antelopes are the principal game of South Africa--for Africa is the
country of the antelope above all others. You may be surprised to hear
that there are _seventy different species of antelopes_ over all the
earth--that more than fifty of these are African, and that thirty at
least belong to South Africa--that is, the portion of the continent
lying between the Cape of Good Hope and the Tropic of Capricorn.

It would require the space of a w