Page:Hunting and trapping stories; a book for boys (IA huntingtrappings00pric).pdf/162

 A MIGRATION OF THE SPRING BOKS

One of the most wonderful of the antelope family found in South Africa is the Spring Bok. While running, the animal has a habit of leaping in the air, sometimes as high as ten feet; hence its name, – "Spring" Bok.

At certain times, generally about once in five years, the Spring Boks make the most marvelous migrations. No one seems to know quite why these long journeys are undertaken. There is one curious fact, however, which throws a light upon the subject: and that is that whenever the Spring Boks migrate the section of country that they move out of is almost certain to be visited by famine. Therefore it would seem that in some mysterious way these animals are able to know a long time ahead when their food supply will run short.

Two gentlemen who were hunting in the northern part of the Transvaal had been welcomed into the house of a Boer ranchman. Soon after sundown their host returned home and told the hunters that if they were willing to go with him in the morning he would show them a sight that would make them open their eyes. Of course they asked what they were to see, but all they could get out of him was that the "Boks were moving." The whole party went to bed for a few hours to get some rest.

Long before dawn the Boer came and roused his guests and told them it was time to be off. After a hasty breakfast they mounted their horses and set out at a gallop. The Boer lead the way across the rolling veldt until they came to another ranch-house where a party of men were waiting to go with them. In answer to the Boer's question a Kaffir told them that the Spring Boks were in the flat of the valley about five miles away. It was decided to take a long ride following the shape of a half moon, so as to head off the herd, if possible. After a long gallop the party suddenly came in sight of the valley. The hunters then saw a sight which they are never likely to forget. As far as the eye could reach the land seemed one moving mass of animals. The ranchmen, accustomed to estimating the number of sheep, in large herds began to ask each other how many Spring Boks could be seen. When they had all looked closely they agreed that there must have been nearly half a million animals in sight.

After a while the leaders of the herd came up quite close to where the men were standing and immediately everyone opened fire at short range. The cracks of the rifles terrified the herd, and they began a mad stampede. For some time the animals could be seen rushing about in all directions, and then everything was blotted out in the huge cloud of dust raised by their wild, dashing feet. Occasionally there would be a break in the dust cloud and the