Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-10-31

year 6N0u dlt6T CIOSSluS TIT lake
river we made good travelling we'll on
toward the Mababe fiat. We heard
from the Makobas and Masarwas along
the river that there was still some wa
Ter standing in the bush ON our right
hand, that there were elephant in there
and that other game was abundant II
is not often that this veldt is accessible
from scarcity of water-and it SEEM
ed good enough to quit the wagon road
for time and try the bush for ivory.
Before reaching Scio Pans, therefore,
we turned right handed and struck into
the bush with one wagon, the other,
in charge CT our head driver, being sent
on to the water, there to await our
coming.
1--WE had some Masarwa bushen with
u.s. ard they were as keen as hawks at
the prospect of showing us heavy game
and getting a liberal supply of flesh.
Northward we trekked steadily through
wild desolate country for the best part
of one day and outspanned by desert
pool for the night. Here we were great
ly disappointed to find no spoor of ele-
phant, although giraffe, ostrich, gems
box and hartebeest were fairly plenti-
full. Next day at dawn we again push
ed doggedly on, Angus and taking
different directions and riding some
miles ahead of the wagon on the look
out for elephant spoor I rode behind a
Masarwa at steady pace all morning
without finding the least sign Of the
game we wanted, and after an off sad
die at midday once more pushed on in
northwesterly direction.
Rather suddenly we came upon a
klompje Of giraffe, and as the elephants
seemed very much in the air and we
wanted meat I rammed the spurs in
and galloped headlong for the camels.
It was desperately hot, and we were
shut up in thick, thorny bush in which
not a breath Of wind stirred, and I con-
sequently had not got my coat on. The
beast rode for, fat, fresh young COW,
led me pretty dance Of two miles, hell
for leather, at terrific pace through
the very thorniest jungle she could pick,
and although I presently ranged close
up to her rump and with my third bull
let, firing from my horse, brought her
down with a crash, she had taken pret-
ty heavy toll of me. My flannel shirt
was torn to ribbons and my chest and
shoulders were rarely gashed about.
Never hunt camel, gentlemen, in a
thick bush without a stout coat on.
That the advice of an old veldtman,
and it's worth remembering. l ought
to have known better that day, but I
was not prepared for game at that par
ticular moment.
''Well, stuck my knife into the
cows back and found her we'll covered
with fat, and the Masarwa coming up
soon after we set to work to skin and
cut her up Presently, having fastened
about 20 pounds Of meat to my saddle
and carrying the long, prehensile tongue
dangling far below my belt, I saddled
up, leaving tho Masarwa, who had a
calabash Of water, to finish the job and
wait for the wagon to pick him up the
next morning
II myself took a sweep north north
east, with the intention of working
round to the wagon before sundown.
"I had not left the Masarwa half an
hour when l suddenly, to my intense
surprise, cut the spoor of a wagon run
ming pretty well east and west and 60
ing westward. 1t was not fresh, but at
the same time not very old either. 1t
might have been month or two old at
most. Now, thought I, what in the
mischief does this mean?' Very few
hunters use this veldt. I knew Khama
had seat no wagons that way this sea-
son, and the only white man in front of
us this year was Dirk Sarreberg, one Of
the few Dutch hunters to whom Khama
gave permission to hunt in his veldt.
s'Starreberg's wagon it could only be-
And yet it struck me as strange that
Dirk, whom l knew well-for he was a
noted interior hunter-should be trek
king in this veldt. He was, 1 knew,
bound for the Victoria falls. Probably,
like ourselves enticed by the unwonted
water supply and the possibility of a
slap at the elephants, he had turned off
somewhere between Nata river and
Daka and pushed across for the Chobe
Thus reasoning, turned my horses
head, and with the westering sun now
on my right flank struck homeward for
the wagon. l rode on for half mile
and then came another strange thing.
AS crossed an open glade I saw com
ing toward me the figure of man. l
knew in moment who it was. The
slouching walk. the big, burly form,
the vast red beard, the rifle carried-as
Dirk always carried his-by the muzzle
end, with the stock poised behind his
shoulder-it was none but Dirk Starre-
berg himself. But there was something
amiss with him. He looked worn and
troubled, almost distraught, it seemed
to me, at that distance, and he gazed
neither to the right nor left Of him, but
passed hurriedly and very swiftly in
front of me at a distance of about 80
PAGES.
Hello, Dirk' shouted 'Allemag.
tig, war loup jij? Wacht cen bite, Dirkp
almighty. where are you off to? Wait
little, Dirk To my utter astonish-
ment, the man took not the slightest no.
tice, but passed on. I became indig-
nant and yelled: Dirk, Dirk, have you
no manners? It's me, George Kenstone.
want you. Stopp Still the man passed
on In another moment he had reached
the bush again. He turned now, beck
oned to me with his right hand, and in
another instant had disappeared. into
the low forest
81 was extremely annoyed, and after
staring like fool for second to two
struck in spurs rather sharply and gal.
loped after him. was not three sec
onds in reaching the bush where he had
entered, but to my surprise Dirk had
vanished. Isearched hither and thither,
shouted-aye, swore-but still no Dirk.
I came back at length to the point where
I had last seen the Boer. Surprise No.
3. There was my own spoor as plain as
pikestaff in the red sand, but of Dirk
Starreberg not ono trace of spoor was to
be seen.
''Now, spoor, as you all know, is
thing that never les. had seen Dirk
cross the clearing and enter the bush at
this point Where were his tracks?
got off my horse and hunted carefully
every bit of the way across the glade
where had seen Dirk pass. I am rea-
sonably good weld man, but-so help me
GodlLI never cor1ld find one trace Of
IL L Ll--4