Evening star., 1899-04-18
AN EXCITING CHASE.
Infuriated Ostrich Kills a Kafir I'm a
Horrible Manner.

ihiuriated Ostrich Kills Kaffir I'm a
| Horrible Manner.
| From the Wide World Magazine.
| The open v6ldt lay before US, bathed in
| the dew and the lingering shades of early
morning as we mounted our horses for
| ride across country. Before we had gone
| far, however, my companion was sum-
mcned back by the news of the illness of
horse, and L continued my ride alone. AS L
advanced mile by mile the scenery grew
| wilder, and great rocks, just tinged with
| the purple of the sunrise, rose majes tically
| on either side. When the road divided my
Basuto pony turned off into bride path
which led through a wild gorge and event
ually lost itself among the rocks at the foot
of a hill. The sure-footed little creature
started up the side of the mountain and
eventually landed me at the top. Here l
dismounted and left him to Craze We mad
been out some hours. Ramountng, We fol-
lowed a half-beaten track on the opposite
side from which we had come, and in a
short time We were at the foot of the hill
and on the level V4idt once more. Going
forward into the main road (such as il
was), which wound round the base of the
mountain. L started off at a quick canter
| toward home.
For some time we went along at a good
pace, when suddenly l was startled by the
sight, not far ahead of a cock ostrich
rushing wildly backward and forward with
us DldCh-dIu- wings mapping and
qulVering with rage. L pulled up with
jerk, for at first 1 thought the bird was
loose on the veldt, but closer inspection
| found that wire fence between US.
Just at this moment l saw on the other side
of the camp a hen sitting on her nest. and
Knowing only too well the danger l was in,
L paused to consider what l should do. A
short distance in front the road ran close
to the fence, and L knew 1t would BE- i'm
possible to pass that way. There was moth
ing Tor II but to retrace my steps and fol-
| low the road back round the mountain till
il Joined the one by which | had come |
was not afraid, for it was by no means an
uncommon position in which to find ones
self in the center of ostrich-farming
country, and, besides, felt sure Of getting
away. Accordingly, L turned the pony's
| head in the opposite direction and walked
quietly back, hoping to escape notice.
feW moments passed, and began to think
We were safe, when suddenly a strange
sound made me look around. To my hor-
ror, L saw tnat in one of his wild charges
the enormous bird mad caught sight of us
and was making frantic dashes along the
fence which was unusually low, and was
not OF barbed wira. In a few seconds he
would be over, and then ii meant a race
| for dear life. My pony, l knew, was one
of the quickest in the country, and as we
had good start, possibly for short time
we should keep ahead, but in the end /
knew the ostrich must easily catch US.
As if by instinct my faithful friend scent
ed danger, and after one whispered word in
AIS car lie w DIS OIL ike the WIND. In
suddenly a cIlsh behind u.s. followed by a
measured beating which almost made the
ground Vlbrate and set my heart humping.
IL you have never heard the tramp of an
ln1ur1ated ostrich, no words will adequately
describe 1t; the nearest approach to it that
l can think of is the sound of the regular
thud! thud!'' of soldiers on the march
There was no mistake; We were being pur-
sued by furious cock ostrich-a formid-
able foe indeed, Now it was only a question
OF time The ponys feet seemed scarcely
10 touch the ground, and L bent forward
VI ging him on feverishly as l had never
done before. Nearer and nearer came .he
beating, the distance between us and our
strange pursuer growing less and less
every second. L was powerless to do any,
thing but hold on to my flying horse We
were miles away from any farm in the
direction We were going, and those behind
knew nothing of the terrible danger | was
in Could there be no help? Alone on the
boundlass veldt, looked vaguely up into
the blue sky.
There was a distant shout, and was
dlmly conscious that a short, heavy kcrrie
whiZzed past me. l dared not STOP for the
ostrich was now but a few yards behind
and 1 could almost feel the vibration of its
great wings as it skinned half-fiying
haif-racing, over the earth. Presently an
other kerrfe came wfizzing past and this
time 1t must have interfered in some way
with the progress of the great bird for /
could tell 1t had stopped short; and as the
chase was not resumed 1 ventured To look
still; my head swan, and l had the great
est difficulty to keep my seat in the saddle
The nfuriated ostrich had turned and was
charging at a kaffir who was coming up
from the camp in pursuit. The man saw
his danger, and excitedly threw kerrie after
kerrie, which passed wide of the mark
Vague ideas flashed through my mind OF
going to his help-an absurd idea, of course,
and now impossible, for the pony had be-
come thoroughly frightened. and was bolt
ing as hard he could go. There was
mere shouting now, and 1 hoped that 9TH
ers had come to thu rescue, but, glancing
back again, / saw it was too late-ostrich
and man had meti
The Kaffir made a tremendous spring at
the long neck of the bird. but he was too
wretch into the air and dropped him with
a thud upon the earth. Before he had time
to recoyer-if, indeed he ever could-the
bird was literally dancing upon him, and
shut my eyes to hide the ghastly sight. By
this time several Kaffirs and Dutchman
had come up, and with a long lasso th.y
caught the sensitive part of the birds neck
and strangled it. dragging it OF the pros
trate kaffir at the same time. never knew
how I reached home that day. For iays
and nights that ghastly fight haunted me-
and was troubled by the thought that the
man had practically given his life for mine
while had done nothing even to attempt
to save him. His MASTER hard, mercen-
at the loss of the valuable ostrich than
with pity for the man. Ths unfortunate
Kaffir had only lived till he reached the
farm, and their he succumhed to his terri
BILE injuries.