Six Months at the Cape | Page 7

was discovered at this moment on a distant
knoll, towards which we trotted, trippled, and cantered. We quickly
scattered,--each man taking his own course. Six-foot Johnny, already
burdened with a buck, went off at reckless speed. He soon came near
enough to cause the game to look up inquiringly. This made him draw
rein, and advance with caution in a sidling and indirect manner. In a
few minutes the boks trotted off. We were now within long range, and
made a dash at racing-speed to head them. The creatures absolutely
played with us at first, and performed some of their astounding leaps,
as if for our special amusement. Had they set off at full speed at once
we should not have had a chance, for they are fleeter than horses. Their
manner of leaping is a la indiarubber ball. It is not a bound forwards,
but a "stott" straight upwards,--six, eight, or nine feet, without apparent
effort, and displaying at each bound a ridge, or fold, of pure white hair
on their backs which at other times is concealed.
We now "put on a spurt," and the leading men got near
enough--between two and three hundred yards. They dismounted,
dropped their bridles, and kneeled to take aim. Brownarms fired and
brought one down--so did Broadshoulders. Six-foot Johnny, in his
eagerness, let the cream pony stumble, somehow, and went over its
head--also over his own, and landed on his knees. The bok he was after
stopped to gaze at the catastrophe. Johnny, profiting by his position,
took aim and tumbled it over.

Mike was by this time leading me towards an animal. We got within
three hundred yards when it began to stretch out. Further pursuit being
useless, I pulled up, leaped off, kneeled, fired, and missed again--the
ball, although straight, falling short. With wild haste I scrambled on
Rob Roy--who, by the way, stood as still as a stone when left with the
bridle thrown over his head and hanging from his nose. The horses
were trained to this.
Loading as I ran we soon came to a bok which had been turned by
some of the other hunters. Again I raced, pulled up, leaped off, and
fired. The pop! pop! was now going on all over the plain, and balls
were whistling everywhere. Again my bok refused to stop to look at
me--as he ought to have done--and again I missed. Michael's eyes were
now quite shut, and his jaws visible to the wisdom teeth--supposing he
possessed any.
Growing reckless under disappointment I now dashed away in pursuit
of animals that had been scattered by the fusillade, and fired right and
left at all ranges between two and ten hundred yards, but without any
other effect than that of driving up the dust under two or three of them,
and causing many of their astounding leaps. Soon the rest of the party
were scattered so far on the plain as to be utterly out of sight and
hearing. As far as sensation went, my "Tottie" and I were as lonely in
that wilderness as was Mungo Park in days gone by.
All this time the sun was blazing in the sky with unclouded and fervent
heat. It had been 110 degrees in the shade at Ebenezer a day or two
before, therefore I judged it to have been much the same on this
occasion. There was not a breath of wind. Everything was tremulous
with heat.
Suddenly I beheld, with the deepest interest, a magnificent lake with
beautiful islets scattered over its crystal breast. Often had I read of the
mirage of African deserts, and much had I thought about it. Now, for
the first time, it was before me. Never was deception more perfect. If I
had not known that no such lake existed in the region I should have
been almost ready to stake my life on the reality of what I saw. No
wonder that thirsty travellers in unknown regions should have so often

pushed forward in eager pursuit of this beautiful phantom.
"Things are not what they seem," truly! This applies to many terrestrial
things, but to none of them more thoroughly than to the mirage.
While I was looking at it, the form of the lake altered sufficiently to
have dispelled the illusion, if I had been labouring under it. In a few
minutes it passed away altogether, but only to reappear elsewhere.
Another curious effect, and rather absurd mistake, resulted from the
different densities in the super-heated atmosphere which caused this
mirage. Fancying that I saw two springboks on the horizon I pointed
them out to my boy.
"Ja!" said Mike, nodding his head and riding towards them at a smart
canter. As we advanced I observed that the boks began to grow rather
larger