his heels; and then the
huge antelope, seeing that farther running could not serve him, halted
in despair, and faced round towards his pursuer.

Now Hendrik had his loaded rifle in his hand, and you expect to hear
that he instantly raised it to his shoulder, took aim, fired, and
brought down the eland.

I must disappoint you, then, by telling you that he did no such thing.

Hendrik was a real hunter--neither rash nor wasteful of his resources.
He knew a better plan than to kill the eland upon the spot. He knew that
the animal was now quite in his power; and that he could drive him
wherever he pleased, just like a tame ox. To have killed the creature on
the spot would have been a waste of powder and shot. More than that, it
would have rendered necessary all the trouble of transporting its flesh
to camp--a double journey at least--and with the risk 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 XXXIX.

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 wha