Part 82 (2/2)

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 ca 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 ain 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 wasforward to follow

The hunter had arrived within a few yards of the top, when a loud tra noise sounded in his ears, as if a band of heavy-footed ania forward, in order to reach the edge, and get a vien 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 alar its old eneive his attention to the eland He could ride it down at any tiiven it the start backward; so he continued to press forward to the head of the ravine

He reater prudence; but the tra of hoofs which still echoed up the pass told him that lions were not the cause of the eland's alarth reached a point where he could see down the declivity He had not far to look--for already the ani the noise were close up to hi as

He was not over-pleased at this interruption to his drive; and the less did he like it, that the intruders were quaggas--ill-conditioned brutes that they were! Had they been game animals, he would have shot one; but the only as would have been a feeling of anger--for, at thatit, poor brutes! they had likely given hiood deal, before he could head the eland again, and get it back into the pass No wonder, then, he was vexed a little

But his vexation was not so grievous as to cause hi aside, he rode after the eland

He had hardly left the spot, when the quaggas ca each other to the number of forty or fifty Each, as he saw the ht, and bolted off, until the whole drove stretched out in a long line over the plain, snorting and uttering their loud ”coua-a-g” as they ran

Hendrik would hardly have regarded this movement under ordinary circuas, and was in no way curious about the, as they passed him, that four of them had their tails docked short; and fronised theht in the pit-trap and afterwards set free Swartboy, for so theo

Hendrik had no doubt it was they, and that the herd was the same that used to frequent the vley, but that on account of the ill-treatment they had hbourhood

Now these circu into Hendrik's as with a certain feeling of curiosity The sudden fright which the ani him, and the comic appearance of the four with the stumped tails, rather inclined Hendrik towards

As the quaggas went off in the same direction which the eland had taken, of course Hendrik's road and theirs lay so far together; and on galloped he at their heels He was curious to try the point--a would be able to cope with an unmounted one He was curious a was quite equal to any of its old coas after, and Hendrik bringing up the rear

Hendrik had no need to ply the spur His gallant steed flew like the wind He seeained upon the drove at every spring

The heavy-going eland was soon overtaken, and as it trotted to one side, was passed It halted, but the quaggas kept on

Not only the drove kept on, but Hendrik's quagga following close at their heels; and in less than five minutes they had left the eland a fullonward over the wide plain