The Nellut Is The Handsomest Of All The Large Antelopes; The Male
Is About Thirteen Hands High, And Carries A
Pair of beautiful
spiral horns, upwards of three feet in length; the colour of the
hide is a dark mouse-
Grey, ornamented with white stripes down the
flanks, and a white line along the back from the shoulder to the
tail. The female is without horns, but is in other respects
similar to the male. These beautiful animals do not inhabit the
plains like the other varieties of antelopes, but are generally
found in deep-wooded ravines. In South Africa it is known as the
koodoo.
The aggageers quickly flayed and quartered the game, which was
arranged upon the horses, and thus it was carried to our camp, at
which we arrived late in the evening.
On the following morning, at my usual hour of starting, a little
before sunrise, we crossed a deep portion of the river, through
which the horses were obliged to swim; on this occasion I rode
Aggahr, who was my best hunter. In that very charming and useful
book by Mr. Francis Galton, "The Art of Travel," advice is given
for crossing a deep river, by holding to the tail of the swimming
horse. In this I cannot agree; the safety of the man is much
endangered by the heels of the horse, and his security depends
upon the length of the animal's tail. In rivers abounding in
crocodiles, which generally follow an animal before they seize,
the man hanging on to the tail of the horse is a most alluring
bait, and he would certainly be taken, should one of these
horrible monsters be attracted to the party. I have always found
great comfort in crossing a river by simply holding to the mane,
just in front of the saddle, with my left hand, with the bridle
grasped as loosely as possible, so that the horse does not feel
the bit; in this position, on the off side, the animal does not
feel any hindrance; the man not only can direct his horse, but
his presence gives it confidence, as he can speak to it coaxingly
while swimming with one arm by its side. Upon landing, he at once
controls the horse by the reins within his left grasp.
Many horses become exceedingly scared in swimming a rapid river,
and will frequently lose their presence of mind, and swim with
the current, in which case they may miss the favourable landing
place; if the man holds by the tail, he has no control over the
horse upon landing, and, if wild or vicious, the animal will
probably kick up its heels and bolt away, leaving the unfortunate
proprietor helpless. In swimming a river with the horse, the
powder, &c. should be made into a parcel with your outer garment,
and tied upon the head; then lead your horse gently into the
water, and for a moment allow it to drink, to prevent all
shyness; continue to lead it until you lose your depth, when, by
holding with your left hand to the mane, both horse and man will
cross with perfect ease.
We had crossed the river, and, as we passed through an opening in
the belt of jungle on the banks, and entered upon a plain
interspersed with clumps of bush, we perceived, at about two
hundred yards distance, a magnificent lion, whose shaggy yellow
mane gave him a colossal appearance, as he stalked quietly along
the flat sandy ground towards the place of his daily retreat. The
aggageers whispered, "El Assut!" (the lion), and instinctively
the swords flashed from their sheaths. In an instant, the horses
were at full speed sweeping over the level ground. The lion had
not observed us; but, upon hearing the sound of the hoofs, he
halted and raised his head, regarding us for a moment with
wonder, as we rapidly decreased our distance, when, thinking
retreat advisable, he bounded off, followed by the excited
hunters, as hard as the horses could be pressed. Having obtained
a good start, we had gained upon him, and we kept up the pace
until we at length arrived within about eighty yards of the lion,
who, although he appeared to fly easily along like a cat, did not
equal the speed of the horses. It was a beautiful sight. Aggahr
was an exceedingly fast horse, and, having formerly belonged to
one of the Hamran hunters, he thoroughly understood his work. His
gallop was perfection, and his long steady stride was as easy to
himself as to his rider; there was no necessity to guide him, as
he followed an animal like a greyhound, and sailed between the
stems of the numerous trees, carefully avoiding their trunks, and
choosing his route where the branches allowed ample room for the
rider to pass beneath. In about five minutes we had run the lion
straight across the plain, through several open strips of
mimosas, and we were now within a few yards, hut unfortunately,
just as Taher and Abou Do dashed forward in the endeavour to ride
upon either flank, he sprang down a precipitous ravine, and
disappeared in the thick thorns.
The ravine formed a broad bottom, which, covered with dense green
nabbuk, continued for a great distance, and effectually saved the
lion. I was much disappointed, as we should have had a glorious
fight, and I had long sought for an opportunity of witnessing an
attack upon the lion with the sword. The aggageers were equally
annoyed, and they explained that they should have been certain to
kill him. Their plan was to ride upon either flank, at a few
yards' distance, when he would have charged one man, who would
have dashed away, while the other hunter would have slashed the
lion through the back with his sword. They declared that a good
hunter should be able to protect himself by a back-handed blow
with his sword, should the lion attack the horse from behind; but
that the great danger in a lion hunt arose when the animal took
refuge in a solitary bush, and turned to bay.
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