As for Congo, although their range extended into a part of the Kaffir country, he had never chanced to hunt in that particular district. Of course neither Bushman nor Kaffir were on the ground with the hunters.
They had been left in charge of the camp; but the advice of both had been asked at setting out, and it was ascertained that they had none to give.
The hunters were at a loss how to proceed, and held a discussion upon it. Groot Willem thought they should be hunted like springboks,--that is, the hunters should take stand and conceal themselves, while one or two rode round and drove the game upon these--a mode practised with the fallow-deer in the forests of North America, and there termed "driving."
Hendrik believed that they could be "ridden into," and run down by the dogs.
Hans recommended "stalking," with which, plan Arend agreed. Of course no opinion was either asked from or given by the lads Klaas and Jan.
Had they been birds, they would have insisted upon their "say" as well as their elder brothers.
But blesboks are not birds, although in less than an hour after they proved themselves to be almost as swift.
Now, as stalking was the mode least likely to give the herd the alarm and seed them off, it could be tried first. Should no one succeed in getting within shot, then Groot Willem"s plan might be adopted; and should it also fail to be successful, it would still not be too late to follow Hendrik"s advice, and ride right at them.
First, then, for a "stalk."
They were not going to stalk them upon horseback. That would never do, though there are some animals that will suffer a mounted man to approach hearer than one afoot. But blesboks are not of that kind.
All dismounted, therefore, and proceeded on foot in the direction of the herd. Not all, exactly. Klaas and Jan remained on the spot in charge of the dogs and horses. Klaas and Jan were to have no share in the stalk.
The herd was in the middle of a vast open plain--so wide that the mountains on its opposite side were scarcely visible. Upon all that plain not a bush or rock appeared. The gra.s.s, as already stated, was short cropped, and smooth as a meadow--not a break in the surface to offer a chance of concealment to the hunter! How, then, could they talk of "stalking" on such ground? They knew that no wild animal, however stupid or negligent, would permit them to walk up within point-blank range and fire at them. How, then, were they going to approach the blesboks, that they had heard were any thing but stupid--on the contrary, were exceedingly shy and watchful of danger? How? That is a peculiar point, and requires explanation.
Although there were neither rocks, nor trees, nor bushes of any kind, nor long gra.s.s, nor inequalities in the ground, there was still a species of "cover." Not the best, it is true, but such as would serve a skilful hunter who knew how to take advantage of it. Enough to give hopes to the yagers, else they would not have dreamt of such a thing as an attempt to stalk the blesboks.
Scattered over the plain, and standing at irregular distances of from one to three hundred yards of each other, were numerous singular structures. They were of the form of obtuse cones, or hemispherical, and all of a light grey colour--the colour of sun-dried mud. On the sides of most of them at their bases could be seen a hole of irregular outlines, and evidently not made by the neat workmen who had built the mounds. Quite the contrary. These entrances to the hollow domes within were not for them. Theirs were underground. These had been made by their enemies--the burglars who had plundered their houses. I am sure I need hardly tell you that the structures thus described were ant-hills, and that the big holes in this side were the work of the long-tongued "aard-vark," or the scaly "pangolin."
The hills in question were dome-shaped, and of moderate size--varying from one to three feet in height. This is by no means as large as many ant-hills found in Southern Africa. Some are four times that height, or still higher; but I have told you elsewhere of these high hills, and that there are different species of ants who construct such curious nests--each species choosing its own style of architecture,--some the cone, or pyramidal form,--some a complete cl.u.s.ter of cones,--some build them of cylindrical shape, and others nearly half-spherical, like inverted tea-basins.
Of these last were the ant-hills now under the eyes of the young yagers.
They were the nests of the _Termes mordax_--a species that inhabits all the plains of the "zuur-veldt" country.
The hunters proceeded to stalk forward, their eyes bent upon the antelopes, and their hopes fixed upon the ant-hills.
Of course they did not commence crouching, until they had tried how near the blesboks would allow them to come without cover. This they soon discovered to be about four hundred yards; and although the animals did not seem to mind their presence at that distance, but continued browsing, yet the moment any one of the four endeavoured to get nearer, the herd, as if mechanically, moved off, and still kept a width of four hundred yards between themselves and the stalkers.
The hunters now began to stalk in earnest, crouching from hill to hill.
It was to no purpose. None of the four could get within shot. They separated and took different sides. The same result followed--a failure. Although the herd kept on, and always in the same general direction, they seemed instinctively to avoid whatever ant-heap a hunter had chosen, giving it a "wide berth" which carried them beyond the reach even of Groot Willem"s roer! After two hours spent in this fruitless kind of hunting, the plan was abandoned.
The "stalk" would not do; and Hans and Arend were now sneered and laughed at by Hendrik and Groot Willem.
"What could _they_ know about hunting? Ha! ha! ha!"
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.
DRIVING THE BLESBOKS.
All now returned to their horses. Groot Willem"s plan was next to be tried.
They mounted. Klaas and Jan were permitted to take part in this affair.
They would do well enough to "drive" the antelopes, while the other four would take stand, and receive them as they came up.
All six rode off towards the herd, which, during the stalk, had moved several miles across the plain.
When as near as they might safely go, without causing the animals to take the alarm, Klaas and Jan were sent to one side, while the stand-men took the other, going to their places by a wide circuit. Of course their horses enabled them to get to their positions in a very little time. It was not necessary that these should be near the herd. As soon as they should conceal themselves behind the hills, Klaas and Jan were to drive the game up; and they were instructed to do so gently, and without causing the bucks to break into flight. The lads were hunters enough to manage that point.
The four having got round to that side of the herd opposite to where the drivers had been sent, tied their bridles together, and, leaving their horses, walked towards the herd. They deployed from each other as they went, so as to cover a good stretch of the plain, and then each choosing an ant-hill, knelt down behind it.
There could be no mistake now. The antelopes, driven by Klaas and Jan, would come their way; springboks certainly would; and then, "crack!
crack!" would go the rifles, and "bang!" Groot Willem"s roer.
This gentleman was in particularly high glee. He had recommended this mode in opposition to Hans and Arend; but he did not mind that, for he had rather a contemptuous opinion of the hunter-craft of these two "yagers;" but what he thought of was, that Hendrik had opposed it, and should it prove successful after that opposition, it would be a feather in Groot Willem"s _hat_.
That it would succeed he had little doubt. They were all nicely placed.
The two boys had got round to the opposite side of the herd, and once these showed themselves a little nearer, the antelopes would face round--they were browsing _towards_ the side to which the boys had been sent--and feed in the direction of the concealed hunters. Springboks would do so, said Groot Willem to himself.
But springboks are not blesboks. They differ not only in size and colour, but in many of their habits; and just by a difference in one of these last was Groot Willem destined to disappointment. A curious habit they have--and one which is shared by a few other animals, both of the antelope and deer species--knocked all Groot Willem"s fine calculations into "pie."
Instead of turning when Klaas and Jan approached them from the opposite side, as all expected they would do, the stubborn creatures would not be turned, but kept on most determinedly in their original course. It is true that they swerved a little to _get past_ the boys; but as soon as they were fairly beyond them, they headed once more in the same direction as before.
Klaas and Jan were at some distance from each other, so as to make a wider front to the drive; but for all that, the blesboks swept past both at such a distance as to give no chance for a bullet, even though sent from the long roer. Neither of the boys fired, as they had been told not to do; and as both behaved discreetly and quietly, the antelopes, after galloping some distance to their rear, slackened their pace, and again commenced browsing.
Groot Willem felt considerably chagrined at the result, and got well laughed at by both Hans and Arend; but what annoyed him still more was a word or two uttered by the rival hunter.
"I knew," said Hendrik emphatically--"I knew it wouldn"t do. Do you take blesboks for sheep, to be driven about by a pair of boys mounted on ponies? Bah!"
This was a terrible cut for Groot Willem; but he replied to it by alleging that his plan had not had a fair trial. It was now plain to all that the blesboks _fed up wind_; and, therefore, the _stand-men_ should have headed them instead of the _drivers_.
"Let us try it that way. I"ll warrant you we"ll succeed. If we don"t, then we can do as _Master_ Hendrik recommends; and we"ll see how _his_ plan, which is no plan at all, may answer."
There was a slight touch of sarcasm in Groot Willem"s tone when he referred to Hendrik, and the emphasis on the "Master," partook strongly of the character of a sneer counter to _his_ which Hendrik had given.
There could be no objection to try the thing over again, according to the mode suggested by Groot Willem; and they all a.s.sented to his proposal. It _was_ plain that the blesboks ran in the "wind"s eye,"
else they never would have "run the gauntlet" against Klaas and Jan, as they had done. Such being the case, the hunters, by laying in wait to windward, would have a decided advantage, and, properly placed, could not fail to reach some of the advancing herd.
Should the scheme turn out differently, then they could follow Hendrik"s advice, and ride _tail-on-end_ upon the blesboks.
With these ideas, the four galloped away to one side, and, making a wide _detour_, headed the game. Klaas and Jan were left in the rear to follow it up, and force it gently forward.
In good time the stand-men were again placed, and watched the advancing antelopes with interest. The "blaze" upon their faces appeared larger and larger, and their broad, white muzzles gleamed in the eyes of the hunters, almost within range of their guns. But at this moment, the animals raised their graceful necks, uttered a strange, snorting cry, and then, instead of turning to fly back, bounded right forward!
Surely they were coming within range, thought every one, as he knelt with ready firelock behind his sheltering mound. "Good!" muttered Groot Willem to himself. "I"ll turn the laugh upon the whole of them--that I shall."
But Groot Willem was destined once more to a humiliating disappointment.
As the blesboks came under the lee of each hill that covered a hunter, they suddenly swerved, and swept round him at such a distance as to render shooting at them a perfectly ridiculous thing. Groot Willem had levelled his roer for a chance shot, when he thought of the unpleasant consequences of a "miss;" and reluctantly bringing down his piece he permitted the blesboks to sweep past.
In a few seconds the herd was far beyond the place where they had pa.s.sed the hunters; but as no a.s.sault had been made upon them, and no gun fired, they quieted down after a while, and once more commenced browsing.