Five Years of a Hunter's Life in the Far Interior of South Africa, Volume 2J. Murray, 1850 - Hunting |
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accordingly after-riders afternoon assagais Bakalahari Bakatla ball Bamangwato Bechuanas beheld black rhinoceros blesboks blue wildebeest Boers borèlé breakfast buffalo bullet Bushman camp Carey cattle chase Colesberg comrades cover crocodile crossed dense dogs extremely fell fired followed forest forward fountain fresh spoor galloped gave grass Griquas ground growling halted Hart River head heard held herd hippopotami horses hour hundred yards hunting hyænas inspanned instantly karosses killed Kleinboy koodoo kraal Kuruman Limpopo lion lioness Mahura miles minutes morning natives Ngotwani night observed old buck once outspanned oxen pallah proceeded reached reeds resolved returned rhinoceros rifle river roan antelope rock rocky rode Ruyter sable antelope saddle sea-cows Seleka serolomootlooque shot shoulder side slowly soon spot stalk steeds stood sundown took trees trekked troop tusks Vaal River vley waggons wait-a-bit walked waterbuck white rhinoceros wind wounded zebras
Popular passages
Page 175 - I could not guide her in the slightest, and she continued to splash, and plunge, and blow, and make her circular course, carrying me along with her as if I was a fly on her tail. Finding her tail gave me but a poor hold, as the only means of securing my prey, I took out my knife and cut two deep parallel incisions through the skin on her rump.
Page 215 - Still, for a few moments, we thought he was but chasing one of the dogs round the kraal, but, next instant, John Stofolus rushed into the midst of us almost speechless with fear and terror, his eyes bursting from their sockets, and shrieked out, "The lion! The lion! He has got Hendrick ; he dragged him away from the fire beside me. I struck him with the burning brands upon his head, but he would not let go his hold. Hendrick is dead ! Oh God ! Hendrick is dead I Let us take fire and seek him.
Page 131 - ... hot for him, relaxed his coils, and, suddenly bringing round his head to the front, he sprang out at us like an arrow, with his immense and hideous mouth opened to its largest dimensions, and before I could get out of his way he was clean out of his hole, and made a second spring, throwing himself forward about eight or ten feet, and snapping his horrid fangs within a foot of my naked legs.
Page 217 - Bushman had a narrow escape ; he was not altogether scatheless, the lion having inflicted two gashes in his seat with his claws. The next morning, just as the day began to dawn, we heard the lion dragging something up the river side under cover of the bank.
Page iii - Five Years of a Hunter's Life In the Far Interior of South Africa. With Notices of the Native Tribes, and Anecdotes of the Chase of the Lion, Elephant, Hippopotamus, Giraffe, Rhinoceros, &c.
Page 232 - Borele departed four old bull elephants drew near from the south. They were coming right on for the spot where we lay, and they seemed very likely to walk over the top of us. We therefore placed our two big rifles in position, and awaited their forward movement with intense interest. On they came, with a slow and stately step, until within twenty yards of us, when the leading elephant took it into his head to pass to leeward. We let him come on until he got our wind ; he was then within ten yards...
Page 115 - Two black and two white rhinoceroses had made their appearance, but, scared by the smell of the blood, they had made off. " At length the lions seemed satisfied. They all walked about with their heads up, and seemed to be thinking about the water ; and in two minutes one of them turned his face towards me, and came on ; he was immediately followed by a second lion, and in half a minute by the remaining four. It was a decided and general move, they were all coming to drink right bang in my face, within...
Page 212 - Bamangwato men had left me. On the 29th we arrived at a small village of Bakalahari. These natives told me that elephants were abundant on the opposite side of the river. I accordingly resolved to halt here and hunt, and drew my wagons up on the river's bank, within thirty yards of the water, and about one hundred yards from the native village. Having outspanned, we at once set about making for the cattle a kraal of the worst description of thorntrees. Of this I had now become very particular, since...
Page 237 - ... around us all night in every direction. We had lain but a short time when I detected a single old bull elephant approaching from the south by the same path which all the others had held. This elephant must have been very thirsty, for he came boldly on without any hesitation, and, keeping to windward, he walked past within about eight yards of us.
Page 9 - Having refreshed myself, taking observations of the elephant's spasms and writhings between the sips, I resolved to make experiments on vulnerable points, and, approaching very near, I fired several bullets at different parts of his enormous skull. He only acknowledged the shots by a salaamlike movement of his trunk, with the point of which he gently touched the wounds with a striking and peculiar action. Surprised and shocked to find...