The Earth Used In Their Construction Is The Subsoil,
Brought Up From A Considerable Depth, As The Ant-Hills Are Yellow, While
The Surface Soil Is Black.
The earth is first swallowed by the insect
and thus it becomes mixed with some albuminous matter which converts it
into a cement that resists the action of rain.
These hills were
generally about eight feet high in the swampy districts, but I have
frequently seen them above ten feet. The antelopes make use of such
ant-hills as watch towers, from which lofty position they can observe an
enemy at a great distance. It is the custom of several varieties to
place sentries while the herd is grazing, and upon this occasion,
although the sentry was alone visible, I felt sure that the herd was
somewhere in his neighbourhood. I have noticed that the sentries are
generally bulls. On this occasion I resolved, if possible, to stalk the
watchman. I was shooting with a very accurate express rifle, a No. 70
bore of Purdey's, belonging to my friend, Sir Edward Kerrison, who had
kindly lent it to me as a favourite weapon when I left England. The
grass was very low, and quite green, as it had been fired by the
wandering natives some time since; thus, in places there were patches of
the tall withered herbage that had been only partially consumed by the
fire while unripe: these patches were an assistance in stalking.
"It was, of course, necessary to keep several tall ant-hills in a line
with that upon which the antelope was standing, and to stoop so low that
I could only see the horns of the animal upon the sky-line. In some
places it was necessary to crawl upon the ground; this was trying work,
on account of the sharp stumps of the burnt herbage which punished the
hands and knees. The fine charcoal dust from the recent fire was also a
trouble, as the wind blew it into the eyes. The watermark upon the
ant-hills was about eighteen inches above the base, proving the height
of the annual floods; and a vast number of the large water helix, the
size of a man's fist, lay scattered over the ground, destroyed and
partially calcined by the late prairie fire.
"The sun was very hot, and I found crawling so great a distance a
laborious operation; my eyes were nearly blinded with perspiration and
charcoal dust; but every now and then, as I carefully raised my head, I
could distinguish the horns of the antelope in the original position. At
length I arrived at the base of the last ant-hill from which I must take
my shot.
"There were a few tufts of low scrub growing on the summit; to these I
climbed, and digging my toes firmly into an inequality in the side of
the hill, I planted my elbows well on the surface, my cap being
concealed by the small bushes and tufts of withered grass.
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