The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-08-01
CHAPTER II.
A MORNINGS SPORT.

A MORNINGS SPORT.
Moving some five or six miles round
the base of the great peak of which
nave spoken, we came the same day to
1ne of the :.fairest bits of African
county that I have seen outside OF
Kukuanaland.
At this spot the mountain spur Thar
runs out at right angles to the great
range. which stretches its mighty
cloud-clad length north and south far
as the eye can reach. sweeps inward
with vast anG splendid curve.
This curve measures some five and
thirty miles from point to point, and
across its moon-like segment the river
flashed, O silver line Of light.
On the farther side of the river is
a measureless sea of swelling ground,
a mighty natural park covered with
great patches of bush, some of them
being many square miles in extent,
which are separated one from another
by glades of grass land, broken here
and there with clumps of tember trees.
and in some instances by curious iso-
lated koppies and even by single
crags of granite. that start up into the
air as though they were monuments
carved by man, and not tombstones set
by nature over the grave Of ages gone.
On the west this beautiful plain is
bordered by the lonely mountain, from
of 1,,h; l1n 1rf
the feverish coast. but how far it runs
to the north I cannot say-eight days
journey, according to the natives, when
it is Cost in the measureless swamp.
On the hither side of the river the
scenery is different.
Along the edge of its banks, where
the land is fat, are green patches Of
swamp.
Then comes a wide belt Of beautiful
grass land. covered thick with game,
and sloping up very gently to the bor-
ders of the forest, which, beginning at
about a thousand feet above the level
of the plain, clothes the mountain side
almost to its crest.
In this forest grow great trees, most
of them Of the yellow wood species.
Some of these trees are so lofty that
a bird in their top branches would be
out of range Of an ordinary shotgun.
Another peculiar thing about them Is
that they are, for the most part, Gov
cred with q dense growth Of the ochella
moss.
Out Of this moss the natives manu-
facture most excellent deep purple
dye, with which they stain tanned
fhides, and also cloth when they happen
to get any of the latter.
l do not think l ever saw anything
more remarkable than the appearance
of one of these mighty trees festooned
from top to bottom with trailing
wreaths Of the sad-hued moss, in which
the wind whispers gently as it stirs
them
At distance it looks like the gray
locks of a Titan crowned with bright
green leaves, and here and there
starred with the rich bloom of orchids
The night of that day when ] had
my little difference of opinion with
,Gobo we camped upon the edge Of
this great forest, and on the following
morning at daylight l started out
shooting.
AS we were short Of meat I deter
emined to kill a buffalo, of which there
were plenty about before looking for
traces Of elephants.
Not more than half mile from camp
we came across a trail Ikea cart-road
evidently made by great herd OF
buffalo which had passed up at dawn
from their feeding ground in the
mashes to spend the day in the cool
air of the uplands.
This trail l followed boldly. for such
wind as there was blew straight down
the mountain side-that is, from the di-
section in which the buffalo had gone
Ito me.
About q mile farther on the forest
began to get dense. and the nature OF
the trail showed me that / must be
close to my game.
L. AuOilsr two hundred yards, and The