y snakes by the tail,
swinging them round his head, and dashing out their brains on a stone or
tree!

Soon we perceived two of our comrades driving a flock of springboks
towards the river. Mike at once diverged towards a clump of bushes
which it seemed probable they would pass. In ten minutes we were down
in a hollow, with the horses hid behind a mimosa-thorn. The boks had
not seen us, being too much taken up with their pursuers; they came
straight towards us.

"Now, sar," whispered Mike once again, while his eyes glared with glee,
"_now's_ you chance!"

I went down on one knee, carefully sighted the rifle, and looked up.
The foremost bok was within good range. I fired and missed!
"Desolation!" said I, cramming in another cartridge while the flock
diverged to the left.

There was no hope now of anything but a running shot. I aimed
carefully. The smoke cleared off, the flock dashed on, but--one bok lay
prone upon the earth. Bang! went my second barrel, and another bok,
leaping into the air, fell, rose, fell again, then rose and ran on.

Mike was now jubilant. The whole internal structure of his mouth was
disclosed to view in his satisfaction, as he viewed the prostrate
animal. I may add that although we did not find the wounded bok that
evening, we found him next day.

With our prize strapped behind Mike's saddle we rode in triumph into
camp, a little before sunset, and found most of our companions
assembled, busy preparing supper and making other arrangements for
camping out on the veldt--as they call the plain. Some had been
successful, some had failed, but a good many springboks had been killed,
and all were hearty as crickets and hungry as hyenas.

To kindle fires, boil tea, roast venison steaks, spread blankets on the
ground, and otherwise attend to the duties of the bivouac, was now the
order of the hour. The moon rose while we were thus engaged, and
mingled her pale light with the ruddy blaze of camp-fires. We spoke
little and ate much. Then followed the inevitable pipe and the pleasant
chat, but we were all too ready for rest to care about keeping it up
long. I was constrained to take the bed of honour in the cart. The
others stretched their limbs on the Karroo, and in ten minutes every man
was in the land of nod.

Next day we mounted at daybreak and renewed the hunt, but I will say no
more about it than that we bagged twenty-six springboks amongst us, and
that Six-foot Johnny, having ki