Forest and Frontiers | Page 3

within twenty yards of the huge beast

under cover of a large strong bush. Borele, hearing me advance, came
on to see what it was, and suddenly protruded his horny nose within a
few yards of me. Knowing well that a front shot would not prove
deadly, I sprang to my feet and ran behind the bush. Upon this the
villain charged, blowing loudly, and chased me round the bush. Had his
activity been equal to his ugliness, my wanderings would have
terminated here, but by my superior agility I had the advantage in the
turn.
After standing a short time eyeing me through the bush, he got a whiff
of my wind, which at once alarmed him. Uttering a blowing noise, and
erecting his insignificant yet saucy-looking tail, he wheeled about,
leaving me master of the field, when I sent a bullet through his ribs to
teach him manners. Of the rhinoceros there are four varieties in South
Africa, distinguished by the Bechuanas by the names of the borele or
black rhinoceros, the keitloa or two-horned rhinoceros, the muchocho
or common white rhinoceros, and the kobaoba or long-horned white
rhinoceros. Both varieties of the black rhinoceros are extremely fierce
and dangerous, and rush headlong and unprovoked at any object which
attracts their attention. They never attain much fat, and their flesh is
tough, and not much esteemed by the Bechuanas. Their food consists
almost entirely of the thorny branches of the wait-a-bit thorns.
Finding that rhinoceros were abundant in the vicinity, I resolved to halt
a day for the purpose of hunting, and after an early breakfast, on the 6th,
I rode south-east with the two Baquaines. They led me along the bases
of the mountains, through woody dells and open glades, and we
eventually reached a grand forest grey with age. Here we found
abundance of spoor of a variety of game, and started several herds of
the more common varieties. At length I observed an old bull eland
standing under a tree. He was the first that I had seen, and was a noble
specimen, standing about six feet high at the shoulder. Observing us, he
made off at a gallop, springing over the trunks of decayed trees which
lay across his path; but very soon he reduced his pace to a trot.
Spurring my horse, another moment saw me riding hard behind him.
Twice in the thickets I lost sight of him, and he very nearly escaped me;
but at length, the ground improving, I came up with him, and rode

within a few yards behind him. Long streaks of foam now streamed
from his mouth, and a profuse perspiration had changed his sleek grey
coat to an ashy blue. Tears trickled from his large dark eye, and it was
plain that the eland's hours were numbered. Pitching my rifle to my
shoulder, I let fly at the gallop, and mortally wounded him behind; then
spurring my horse, I shot past him on his right side, and discharged my
other barrel behind his shoulder, when the eland staggered for a
moment and subsided in the dust. The two Baquaines soon made their
appearance, and seemed delighted at my success. Having kindled a fire,
they cut out steaks, which they roasted on the embers; I also cooked a
steak for myself, spitting it upon a forked branch, the other end of
which I sharpened with my knife and stuck into the ground.
The eland is a magnificent animal, by far the largest of all the antelope
tribe, exceeding a large ox in size. It also attains an extraordinary
condition, being often burdened with a very large amount of fat. Its
flesh is most excellent, and is justly esteemed above all others. It has a
peculiar sweetness, and is tender and fit for use the moment the animal
is killed. Like the gemsbok, the eland is independent of water, and
frequents the borders of the great Kalahari desert in herds varying from
ten to a hundred. It is also generally diffused throughout all the wooded
districts of the interior where I have hunted. Like other varieties of deer
and and antelope, the old males may often be found consorting together
apart from the females, and a troop of these, when in full condition,
may be likened to a herd of stall-fed oxen.
The eland has less speed than any other variety of antelope; and, by
judicious riding, they may be driven to camp from a great distance. In
this manner I have often ridden the best bull out of the herd, and
brought him within gunshot of my wagons, where I could more
conveniently cut up and preserve the flesh, without the trouble of
sending men and packoxen to fetch it. I have repeatedly seen an eland
drop down dead