r off. Swartboy, who had been upon the cliffs, brought this
report to camp.

Without losing any more time than sufficed to get the direction from
Swartboy, Hendrik mounted his quagga, shouldered his rifle, and rode off
in search of the herd.

Not far from the camp there was an easy pass, leading up the cliff to
the plain above. It was a sort of gorge or ravine; and from the
numerous tracks of animals in its bottom, it was evidently much used as
a road from the upper plain to that in which were the spring and stream.
Certain animals, such as the zebras and quaggas, and others that
frequent the dry desert plains from preference, were in the habit of
coming by this path when they required water.

Up the gorge rode Hendrik; and no sooner had he arrived at its top, than
he discovered the herd of elands--seven old bulls--about a mile off upon
the upper plain.

There was not cover enough to have sheltered a fox. The only growth
near the spot where the elands were, consisted of straggling
aloe-plants, euphorbias, with some stunted bushes, and tufts of dry
grass, characteristic of the desert. There was no clump large enough to
have sheltered a hunter from the eye of his game; and Hendrik at once
came to the conclusion, that the elands could not be "stalked" in the
situation they then occupied.

Now, though Hendrik had never hunted this antelope, he was well
acquainted with its habits, and knew how it ought to be chased. He knew
that it was a bad runner; that any old horse could bring up with it; and
that his quagga--the fastest of the four that had been tamed--could do
the same.

It was only a question of "start," therefore. Could he get near enough
the bulls to have a fair start, he would run one of them down to a
certainty. The result might be different should the elands take the
alarm at a long distance off, and scour away over the plain.

To get within fair starting distance, that was the point to be
attempted.

But Hendrik was a wary hunter, and soon accomplished this. Instead of
riding direct for the elands, he made a grand circuit--until he had got
the herd between him and the cliff--and then, heading his quagga for
them, he rode quietly forward.

He did not sit erect in the saddle, but held himself bent down, until
his breast almost touched the withers of the quagga. This he did to
deceive the elands, who would otherwise have recognised him as an enemy.
In such a fashion they could not make out what