Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-04-18
a HUNTERS PLIGHT.
Pinned Down by An Antelope's
Horns-The Queer Outcome.

The Transraal Adrertiser, of South
Africa, makes itself responsible for the
following tough yarn:
A well-known resident in the Repub-
lie went out to hunt one morning, and
soon sighted a koodoo bull, which he
tried to stalk. He succeeded in slightly
wounding the animal, and then galloped
after it in the open. While descending
a stony declivity his horse stumbled; he
was thrown and his rife was broken.
On seeing what had happened, the koo-
doc turned round and at once attacked
its pursuer, knocking him to the ground
and trying to kneel upon him.
Grasping the animals legs tight
", the hunter succeeded in keeping the
buck in an erect position. The horns
of the antelope had evidently entered
the bank to some depth, for the face of
the brute pressed upon the chest of the
unfortunate man, almost causing suffo-
cation. Suddenly, however, the i'm
prisoned hunter found that the buck
was making strenuous efforts to extricate
its horns from the veldt, but without
avail; and he finally came to the con-
clusion that they had been driven SO
firmly into the ground as to resist all
efforts of the animal to escape. He
gradually endeavored to release the legs
of the buck, and endeavored to reach
his pocket, in the hope of getting at his
knife, but in vain. In this manner buck
and man remained throughout the heat
of broiling day, the koodoo moaning
piteously the while. The shades Of
night gave relief for time, but, as the
twilight deepened, the laugh of the
hyena and the yelp 9f the aadvark
showed the hunter that he had other
dangers 70 fear.
As night cams on, these creatures,
growing holder, owing to the silence OF
of the group III the veldt, approached
nearer, and the captive man not only
saw the fiery CLEAN of their eyes, but
finally had his coat-sleeve grasped by
one of the assailants, while the buck
plunged as another attacked its flank.
The hunter gave vent to a cry to drive
off the fiery carnivora, and by dint of
shouting and waving his arms, assisted
by the kicks of the buck, he managed to
keep off the brutes till daylight forced
them TO return 10 their holes. The
dawn betokened another hot day, and
both man and buck were well-nigh worn
out with the sleepless vigil OF the pre-
ceding night.
Shortly after daylight the ping of q
bullet, followed Immediately by a wound
over his forehead, and the sound Of the
report of a rifle warned the hunter that
danger was nigh. Crying out frantically
he waved his hands about, and sudden
ly bethinking him of the fact, he drew
from his pocket white handkerchief
and let it fiutter in the morning breeze.
This had the desired effect. and the
stranger-an approaching
was soon informed of the plight his fell
low man was in. All efforts TO remove
the horns of the buck, however, proved
fruitless; and, not wishing to destroy
so fine an animal, the Englishman, after
giving the captive man drop of brandy
from his fiasss, and placing his saddle
cloth under his head, rode off TO the
nearest farm, some six miles distant, for
assistance. On returning with reims
and spades, the legs of the buck were
secured and a REIN placed round the
neck Of the subdued and terrified animal.
After digging for some time the spades
struck against some hard substance of
metallic nature; and further delving re-
vealed the fact that the right horn was
embedded in mass of metal. More
digging released both horns, each bear
ing a similar appendage, which, after
the hunter had been released, were final
ly freed from the horn by the use of
hatchets. The metal, to the astonish-
ment of all present, was soon seen to be
gold, and further search led to the un-
earthing of smaller nuggets. The mug
gets weighed respectively eight pounds
and six and half pounds avoirdupois.
The farm, private one, is being dill
gently worked by several prospectors,
and several small nuggets have already
been unearthed, while paintings and
in the spruit have provided
more than tucker"