of the
hyenas eating up most of it in his absence. Whereas he could save all
this trouble by _driving the eland to camp_; and this was his design.

Without firing a shot, therefore, he galloped on past the blown bull,
headed him, turned him round, and then drove him before him in the
direction of the cliff.

The bull could make neither resistance nor opposition. Now and again,
he would turn and trot off in a contrary direction; but he was easily
headed again, and at length forced forward to the top of the pass.

CHAPTER FORTY ONE.

A WILD RIDE ON QUAGGA-BACK.

Hendrik was congratulating himself on his success. He anticipated some
pleasure in the surprise he was about to create at camp, when he should
march in with the eland--for he had no doubt that he would succeed in
doing so.

Indeed, there appeared no reason to doubt it. The bull had already
entered the gorge, and was moving down it, while Hendrik and his quagga
were hurrying forward to follow.

The hunter had arrived within a few yards of the top, when a loud
trampling noise sounded in his ears, as if a band of heavy-footed
animals were coming up the gorge.

He spurred his quagga forward, in order to reach the edge, and get a
view down the ravine. Before he was able to do so, he was surprised to
see the eland gallop up again, and try to pass him upon the plain. It
had evidently received fresh alarm, from something in the gorge; and
preferred facing its old enemy to encountering the new.

Hendrik did not give his attention to the eland. He could ride it down
at any time. He was more anxious first to know what had given it the
start backward; so he continued to press forward to the head of the
ravine.

He might have thought of lions, and acted with greater prudence; but the
trampling of hoofs which still echoed up the pass told him that lions
were not the cause of the eland's alarm.

He at length reached a point where he could see down the declivity. He
had not far to look--for already the animals that were making the noise
were close up to him; and he perceived they were nothing more than a
troop of quaggas.

He was not over-pleased at this interruption to his drive; and the less
did he like it, that the intruders were quaggas--ill-conditioned brutes
that they were! Had they been game animals, he would have shot one; but
the only motive that would have induced him to shoot one of the quaggas
would have been a feeling of anger--for, at t