When they had got fairly within the boundaries of the blesbok country,
the young yagers resolved to make halt for a day or two, and hunt these
beautiful antelopes. Not that they desired their flesh, but they wished
to strip one or two of them of their bright, parti-coloured robes, to be
hung up along with their horns in the halls of Graaf Reinet.
After treking some miles across the plains, they outspanned by a vley,
and formed their camp.
The following morning they mounted their horses, and proceeded over the
plain in search of the purple antelopes.
They were not long in finding them. That is by no means a difficult
thing with an animal that herds together in thousands, provided you
chance to be in the district it inhabits; and the yagers were not slow
in coming within view of a herd of blesboks.
But how to hunt them was a knowledge which none of the party possessed--
whether to let slip the buck-dogs and gallop right into the thick of the
herd, or to get within shot by stalking--which of these was the proper
manner neither the young yagers nor their drivers knew. In Swartboy's
country neither blesboks nor bonteboks are known. They do not range to
the western half of South Africa, and the young yagers only knew them by
tradition. Their fathers had hunted them years before; but both species
had been long since exterminated south of the Orange River.
As for Congo, although their range extended into a part of the Kaffir
country, he had never chanced to hunt in that particular district. Of
course neither Bushman nor Kaffir were on the ground with the hunters.
They had been left in charge of the camp; but the advice of both had
been asked at setting out, and it was ascertained that they had none to
give.
The hunters were at a loss how to proceed, and held a discussion upon
it. Groot Willem thought they should be hunted like springboks,--that
is, the hunters should take stand and conceal themselves, while one or
two rode round and drove the game upon these--a mode practised with the
fallow-deer in the forests of North America, and there termed "driving."
Hendrik believed that they could be "ridden into," and run down by the
dogs.
Hans recommended "stalking," with which, plan Arend agreed. Of course
no opinion was either asked from or given by the lads Klaas and Jan.
Had they been birds, they would have insisted upon their "say" as well
as their elder brothers.
But blesboks are not birds, although in less than an hour after they
proved themselves to be almost as swift.
Now, as stalking was the mode least likely to give the herd the alarm
and seed them off, it could be tried first. Should no one succeed in
getting within shot, then Groot Willem's plan might be adopted; and
should it also fail to be successful, it would still not be too late to
follow Hendrik's advice, and ride right at them.