"Mind you approach the herd to leeward," shouted the Major, as the boys galloped off. A smart "scurry" over the yielding turf soon brought our young sportsmen within three or four hundred yards of the unsuspecting hartebeest, when Tom called to his companion to pull up. "We mustn't go at them with a rush," said he. "In fact, I almost think our best plan would be to tether the horses to these trees and stalk the herd on foot. What do you say?" "I agree with you, old fellow," replied young Weston. "You see we're not much accustomed to shoot from the saddle." And so they both dismounted, tied up their horses to separate trees (for Tom's nag was rather given to using his heels), and having unslung and loaded their rifles with more than usual care, they advanced towards the hartebeest. The hartebeest--generally supposed to be the _Bubalus_ of the ancients-- is one of the commonest breed of deer in Southern Africa. It stands from four to four-and-a-half feet at the withers, the form of its body being something between that of a red-deer and a heifer; the tail reaches nearly to the hocks and is terminated by a tuft of coarse hair. The head of the hartebeest somewhat resembles that of an ox, but the ears are "asinine" in shape, and the eyes are placed very high; below each eye is a pore from which exudes a matter: this matter the Hottentots preserve as a rare and valuable medicine, but what diseases it is supposed to cure we cannot say. The hartebeest is furnished with a pair of strong black horns, embossed with rings; the horns are quite close together at the base, diverging upwards, and at the tops bending rearwards in a horizontal direction almost to the tips, which are several inches apart. The colour of this animal is a dark cinnamon, except the hind-quarter and inside the thighs, which are of a yellowish white; the face and the fore-part of the legs are marked with black. When galloping, the hartebeest appear to go heavily with a donkey-like action; but nevertheless they get over the ground quite as fast as other large deer; if, when followed, they manage to get ahead, they are apt to stop short and gaze at their pursuers. When hard pressed, this animal-- like the wood-antelope and nil-ghau--drops on his knees and shows fight. Cautiously the two boys crept up to the herd, keeping well under cover of the bushes and tufts of karoo-grass. "Now, Tom," said George, who, by the way, was much the best shot; "we're well within range. I'll take that big fellow standing near those mimosa bushes." "All right, old boy," replied Tom. "I shall aim at the buck grazing directly in front of us; it is the easiest shot of the two, I think." Bang! bang!