CHAPTER FIVE.
LIONS STALKING THE GEMSBOK.
On seeing the "gemsbok"--for by such name is the oryx known to the Capecolonists--the first thought of the young yagers was how they shouldkill or capture one of them. Beautiful as these creatures looked uponthe plain, our hunters would have fancied them better on the spit--forthey well knew that the venison of the gemsbok is delicious eating--notsurpassed by that of any other antelope, the eland perhaps excepted.
The first thought of the yagers, then, was a steak of gemsbok venisonfor dinner. It might throw their dinner a little later, but it would beso much of a better one than dry biltong, that they were willing towait.
The slices of jerked meat, already half-broiled, were at once put aside,and guns were grasped in the place of roasting-sticks.
What was the best course to be pursued? That was the next question.
It would scarce be possible to stalk the gemsboks. They are among themost wary of antelopes. They rarely approach near any cover that mightshelter an enemy; and when alarmed they strike off in a straight line,and make for the open desert plains--their natural home. To stalk them,is a most difficult thing, and rarely attempted by the hunter. They canonly be captured by a swift horse, and after a severe chase. Even fromthe swiftest horse they often make their escape; for in the first burstof a mile or two they can run like the wind. A good horse, however, hasmore "bottom" than they, and if well managed will in time overtake them.
The hunters having seized their guns, next thought of their horses.Should they saddle and ride out after the gemsboks? That would havebeen their course at once, and without further consideration, had theynot observed that the antelopes were coming directly towards them. Ifthey continued in the same course much longer, they, the yagers, neednot stir from the spot. The game would approach within shot and savethem the trouble of a chase. This would be very agreeable, as thehunters were hungry, and their horses tired after a hard day'sjourneying.
There was some probability that the gemsboks would give them the chancethey wished for. The camp was well hidden among the bushes. The smokeof the fire alone showed its situation, but the antelopes might notperceive this, or if so, might not regard it as a thing to be feared.Besides, as Groot Willem and Hendrik observed, the vley was close by,and both believed the antelopes were on their way to the water. Thestudent Hans, however, corrected them in this belief, by telling themthat the oryx is an animal _that never drinks_,--that it is quiteindependent of springs, streams, or vleys,--one of those creatures whichNature has formed to dwell in the desert, where no water exists! It wasnot likely then that the gemsboks were coming to the vley. The huntersneed make no calculation on that.
At all events, they were certainly approaching the camp. They wereheading straight for it, and were already less than a thousand yardsfrom the spot. There would scare be time to saddle before they shouldcome within shot, or else start off alarmed at the appearance of thesmoke. The hunters, therefore, gave up all thoughts of a chase; and,crouching forward to the outer edge of the grove, they knelt down behindthe bushes to await the approach of the antelopes.
The latter still kept steadily on, apparently unconscious of danger.Surely they had not yet perceived the smoke, else they would have shownsymptoms either of curiosity or alarm! The wind was blowing in the samedirection in which they marched, or their keen sense of smell would havewarned them of the dangerous proximity of the hunter's camp. But it didnot; and they continued with slow but unaltered pace to approach thespot, where no less than six dark muzzles--a full battery of smallarms--were waiting to give them a volley.
It was not the destiny of either of the gemsboks to die by a leadenbullet. Death, sudden and violent awaited them, though not from thehand of man. It was to come from a different quarter.
As the yagers lay watching the approach of the antelopes, their eyes hadwandered for a moment from the lions; but a movement on the part ofthese again drew attention to them. Up to a certain period they hadremained in an upright attitude, squatted upon their tails, but all atonce they were observed to crouch flat down, as if to conceal themselvesunder the grass, while their heads were turned in a new direction. Theywere turned towards the gemsboks. They had caught sight of the latteras they approached over the plain; and it was evident that theycontemplated an attack upon them.
Now if the antelopes continued on in the same course, it would carrythem quite clear of the lions, so that the latter would have noadvantage. A gemsbok can soon scour off from a lion, as the latter isat best but a poor runner, and secures his prey by a sudden spring ortwo, or else not at all. Unless, therefore, the lions could obtain theadvantage of getting within bounding distance of the antelopes withoutbeing seen by them, their chances of making a capture would be poorenough.
They knew this, and to effect that purpose--that of getting near--nowappeared to be their design. The lion was observed to crawl off fromthe spot in a direction that would enable him to get upon the path ofthe gemsboks, between them and the camp. By a series of manoeuvres,--now crawling flat along the grass, like a cat after a partridge; nowpausing behind a bush or an ant-heap to survey the game; then trottinglightly on to the next,--he at length reached a large ant-hill thatstood right by the path in which the antelopes were advancing. Heseemed to be satisfied of this, for he stopped here and placed himselfclose in to the base of the hill, so that only a small portion of hishead projected on the side towards the game. His whole body, however,and every movement he made, were visible to the hunters from _their_ambush in the grove.
But where was the lioness? She was no longer by the _bosch_ where firstseen. Where had she gone? Not with the lion? No. On the contrary,she had gone in a direction nearly opposite to that taken by him. Theireyes had been busy with his movements, and they had not noticed hers.Now, however, that the lion had come to a halt, they looked abroad forhis mate, and saw her far out upon the plain. They saw that she wasprogressing in the same way the lion had done,--now crawling among thegrass, now trotting swiftly from bush to bush, and pausing a momentbehind each, but evidently bending her course so as to arrive _in therear_ of the antelopes!
The "strategy" of the lions was now perceived. They had evidentlyplanned it before separating. The lion was to place himself in ambushupon the path, while the lioness swept round to the rear and forced theantelopes forward; or should the latter become alarmed and retreat, thelion could then show himself in pursuit, and run the frightened gameback into the clutches of the lioness.
The thing was well calculated, and although it was likely to rob thehunters of their game, they had grown so interested in the movements ofthe carnivora and their intended victims, that they thought only ofwatching the spectacle to its end.
The ambuscade was well planned, and in a few minutes its success was nolonger doubtful. The gemsboks advanced steadily towards the ant-hill,occasionally switching about their black bushy tails; but that was torid their flanks of the flies, and not from any apprehension of danger.
The lioness had completed the great _detour_ she had made, and was nowseen crouching after them, though still far to the rear.
As the antelopes drew near the ant-hill, the lion was observed to drawback his head until it was nearly concealed under his black shaggy mane.They could not possibly have seen him where he lay, nor he them, and henow appeared to trust to his ears to inform him of their approach.
He waited till both were opposite, and broadside toward him, at thedistance of less than twenty paces from the hill. Then his tail wasseen to vibrate with one or two quick jerks, his head shot suddenlyforth, his body spread out apparently to twice its natural size, and thenext moment he rose like a bird into the air!
With one bound he cleared the wide space that separated him from thenearest of the gemsboks, alighting on the hind-quarters of the terrifiedanimal. A single blow of his powerful paw brought the antelope on itshaunches; and another, delivered almost at the same instant, stretchedits body lifeless on the pl
ain!
Without looking after the other, or seeming to care further about it,the lion sprang upon the body of his victim, and, clutching its throatbetween his jaws, commenced drinking its warm blood.
It was the bull gemsbok which the lion had pulled down, as this was theone that happened to be nearest the hill.
As the lion sprang upon her companion, the cow of course started withaffright, and all supposed they would see her the next moment scouringoff over the plains. To their astonishment she did no such thing. Suchis not the nature of the noble oryx. On the contrary, as soon as sherecovered from the first moments of alarm, she wheeled round towards theenemy; and, lowering her head to the very ground, so that her long hornsprojected horizontally in front, she rushed with all her strength uponthe lion! The latter, in full enjoyment of his red draught, saw nothingof this manoeuvre. The first intimation he had of it was to feel a pairof spears pierced right through his ribs, and it is not likely he feltmuch more.
For some moments a confused struggling was observed, in which both lionand oryx seemed to take part; but the attitudes of both appeared so odd,and changed so rapidly, that the spectators could not tell in whatmanner they were combating. The roar of the lion however had ceased,and was now succeeded by the more shrill tones of the lioness, who,bounding forward upon the spot, mixed at once in the melee.
A single touch of her claws brought the cow oryx to the earth, and endedthe strife; and the lioness now stood over the victims screaming hernote of triumph.
Was it a note of triumph? There was something odd in its tone--something singular in the movements of the creature that uttered it--something strange about the whole thing. Why was the lion silent? Hisroar had ceased, and he lay embracing the carcass of the bull gemsbok,and apparently drinking its blood. Yet he was perfectly without motion,not a muscle could be seen to move, not a quiver of his tawny hidebetokened that he breathed or lived! Was he dead?