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.
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