The Oryx; more than one Species.—Where found.—Probably
known in Europe previous to the discovery of the
Passage round the Cape of Good Hope.—Description of the
Oryx.—Gregarious.—Speed.—Food.—Water not necessary to its
existence.—Will face the Lion.—Formidable Horns.—Their
Use.—Flesh.—The Chase of this Animal.
Three distinct species of oryxes[49] are recognized by naturalists,
ranging over a great extent of the more desert and thinly-peopled
districts of Africa. In the northern part of the continent the type is
represented by the leucoryx,[50] which strikingly resembles the oryx
or gemsbok (_oryx capensis_), of which the accompanying drawing is an
excellent representation.
The gemsbok (so called by the Dutch from a supposed resemblance to the
chamois of Europe) seems restricted to the central and western parts of
Southern Africa, few or none being found in its eastern portion. It was
once common within the colony, but what with its shy habits, the constant
persecution it suffers, and the advance of civilization, its numbers are
now rapidly decreasing, and few at the present day are to be found within
the boundaries of the British territory.
[Illustration: ORYX OR GEMSBOK.]
Judging from some ancient coats of arms, it would really seem that the
gemsbok was known to Europeans even before the Portuguese discovered
the passage round the Cape of Good Hope.[51] We are told that John of
Lancaster, the great Duke of Bedford, bore his arms supported by this
animal, which is still on the sinister side of the heraldic shield of
the present ducal house of Bedford. Among various embellishments, which
are painted in the Bruges style of the period, in a Prayer-book once the
property of John of Lancaster, are found his armorial devices, with the
antelope black, whose straight spiral horns, although placed almost at
right angles with the head, are evidently intended for those of the oryx.
The animal is adorned with gilded tusks, but in other respects is not ill
drawn. It is conjectured that this book was illuminated on the marriage
of the Duke of Bedford with Anne, Princess of Burgundy. Be this as it
may, it can not well be later than the period of his death in the year
1435.
The gemsbok is a very remarkable animal, and, though possessed of many
of those beautiful peculiarities which characterize antelopes, there is
something anomalous about him. He has the mane and tail of the horse, the
head and coloring of the ass, and the legs and feet of the antelope. The
horns are about three feet in length, slightly curved backward, ringed at
the base, and of a shining black color. Those of the female are somewhat
longer than the male’s, but of more slender proportions. About one third
of their entire length is hollow, resting on a bony protuberance. When
both horns are perfect, and one has a side view of the animal, they
appear as one and the same, from which circumstance many believe the
gemsbok to be the unicorn[52] of Scripture.
The gemsbok is a truly noble beast. The adult male (about the size of an
ass) not unfrequently attains nearly four feet in height at the shoulder,
and about ten in extreme length. The general color of the coat is a
“vinous buff.” The female is very similar in appearance, but slighter in
form. The calves are of a reddish cream-color, which, as they grow up,
becomes paler or whitish. They are easily tamed, but sometimes exhibit
a vicious and treacherous disposition. Hans more than once domesticated
them, and I myself have had the young alive.
The gemsbok may be said to be gregarious in its habits; for, though
rarely seen together in any great number, it is not often met singly.
Of all the larger quadrupeds of South Africa with which I can claim
acquaintance, the gemsbok is undoubtedly the swiftest. Its speed is
nearly equal to that of the horse. Unless a man be a “light weight” and
very well mounted, he has little chance of coming up with it.
The food of the gemsbok consists of grass, succulent plants (often of a
very acrid taste), shrubs, &c.
As with several other animals indigenous to Southern Africa, water is not
supposed to be essential to the existence of the gemsbok. Gordon Cumming,
indeed, tells us “that it never by any chance tastes water.” But this, I
apprehend, is a mistake; for I have not only seen it on several occasions
while in the very act of drinking, but perfectly well authenticated
instances have come to my knowledge where whole troops of these animals
have been discovered either dead or in a dying state near pools purposely
poisoned by the natives for the capture of wild animals. The gemsbok, it
is true, is found in the most dreary and desolate districts far distant
from water:
“A region of drought, where no river glides,
Nor rippling brook with osier’d sides—
With no reedy pool, nor mossy fountain,
Nor shady tree, nor cloud-capp’d mountain.”
Nevertheless (more especially at early morn), it occasionally frequents
the banks of periodical rivers, flanked or bordered by broken ground or
hills; and it is to such localities, when pursued, that it flies for
refuge.
Though the gemsbok has rarely, if ever, been known to attack man, it
is quite capable of defending itself. With its formidable horns it can
strike an object (that is, inflict wounds) in front as well as behind,
which, from their pointing backward, was hardly to be expected. When
driven to bay by dogs, it has been seen to place its head between its
legs (the tips of its horns, in the while, almost resting on the ground),
and to rip open, or toss into the air, such of its assailants as have
had the boldness to confront it. In this manner Hans told me he lost, at
different times, the best dogs in his pack.
In open ground, the gemsbok, it is said, will stand on the defensive even
against the lion himself. Hans, indeed, knew an instance where a lion and
a gemsbok were found lying dead in each other’s grasp, the latter having,
with his horns, transfixed his assailant! The carcasses of the two were
discovered before decomposition had taken place. The lion seems to have a
great dread of the horns of the gemsbok; for, by all accounts, he rarely
ventures to attack except by stealth.
The horns of this animal are used by the natives for a variety of
purposes. When polished, they form strong and handsome walking-sticks.
The flesh, which is well tasted, is highly prized.
“Owing to the uneven nature of the ground which the oryx frequents,” says
Gordon Gumming, “its shy and suspicious disposition, and the extreme
distances from water to which it must be followed, it is never stalked
or driven to an ambush like other antelopes, but is hunted on horseback,
and ridden down by a long, severe, tail-on-end chase.” This is not
exactly correct, for when on foot I have killed great numbers of these
animals. Moreover, were the option left me, I would rather “stalk” them
than pursue them on horseback. Such was also Hans’s experience, who,
during his seven years’ nomade life in Damara-land, has probably killed
more gemsboks than any hunter in Southern Africa. I have also known this
animal to be driven into pitfalls.
The gemsbok, as a rule, runs, like the eland, against the wind when
pursued.