unter; but the moment they caught sight of the fleet cob bounding
over the sunburnt grass, they went off at a clumsy, waddling gallop,
scattering as they went, their necks outstretched and eyes rolling;
while the cob seemed to single out a beautifully marked calf, about
two-thirds grown, whose creamy skin was regularly spotted with rich
light brown.

Dick's rifle was slung over his back, but he never once thought of using
it. In fact, he hardly knew in the excitement of the chase what he
intended, and so he raced on past patch after patch of scattered trees,
and past clumps of thorns, which both he and the cob carefully avoided.

Now they gained a little; but directly after the giraffe whisked its
tail straight up over its back and put on more power, leaving the hunter
some distance behind; and so the race went on for a couple of miles,
Dick never once remembering his thorns, as he knew that it was only a
question of time to run the great animal to a stand.

"Why, I could catch it then," cried Dick excitedly; and sticking his
heels into his horse, away they went over the grassy plain, gaining
rapidly now; and though the giraffe kept on making an effort to increase
the distance, it was of no avail, for the cob raced on closer and
closer, and then avoiding the vicious kicks of the creature, delivered
with tremendous force by its bony legs, the cob raced on alongside.

There was a wonderful difference in the progress of the two animals--the
one awkward, and seeming as if running on stilts; the other compact,
muscular, and self-contained, evidently possessing double the endurance
with an equal speed to the giraffe.

On still and on, with the cob's sides flecked with foam, and the giraffe
blundering now as it progressed. Once it turned sharp off to the left,
but without a touch the cob wheeled as well, and kept alongside,
watchfully keeping clear whenever he saw the giraffe about to kick,
which it tried to do if there was a chance.

Dick was excited with the chase, so was the cob, which stretched out
more and more greyhound fashion as it raced along.

Fortunately, the grassy prairie-like stretch of land was clear of
obstacles, no ant-bear or other burrow coming in their path, or horse
and rider would have fallen headlong; the eyes of both being fixed upon
the beautiful spotted coat of the giraffe, which, after rolling heavily
in its gait for a while, made one more effort to wheel round and
distance its pursuers, but