Twenty-Five Years in a Waggon in South Africa: Sport and Travel in South AfricaAnderson, Andrew A.
History
Twenty-Five Years in a Waggon in South Africa: Sport and Travel in South Africa
Anderson, Andrew A.
Africa, Southern -- Description and travel; Anderson, Andrew A. -- Travel -- Africa, Southern
In Sechele's territory there are no other stations of any size; he has
many smaller kraals in outlying districts, and several cattle-posts
belonging to Kaffirs, some of whom are rich in stock. Four roads branch
from Molapololo to the north, one passing through the desert to Lake
N'gami, two direct to Ba-Mangwato through the Bush Veldt, a fourth _via_
Motsode, by continuing down the Notuane river; another, making a fifth,
taking the river road by the Limpopo. The distance by the direct roads
to Mongwato is 133 miles. In the dry season most of the
transport-waggons take the river road, as water is always to be
obtained. In the direct roads, many of the pans dry up; only at Selene
Pan can water be procured, which is eighty-eight miles from Sechele's,
and forty-five from Mongwato. All that part of the country is very
pretty; there are no hills, small koptjies are numerous. The trees and
bush that grow in such park-like clumps, of great variety, add to its
charm. The first year I travelled that road, eighteen years ago, the
whole country swarmed with game, lions, and wolves, that is, at the time
I speak of. The koodoo, with fine spiral horns from three to four feet
in length, is a noble animal, the size of an ordinary ox, of a dun
colour; their fine action when trotting or on the gallop, carrying their
heads well up, is a fine sight. Hartebeests, roibok, with their
beautiful fat sides and sleek coats. Well-marked with black stripes and
white is the zebra, and when a troop of a hundred or more pass, it is a
picture in itself. The ostrich was then plentiful, but it was difficult
to run them down where the trees grow so thick, with bush between.
I had a young and fleet horse who got quite used to hunting them; if he
saw any, it was difficult to keep him in hand, and in a country of thick
bush, wolf-holes, and ant-bears, it required great caution to prevent a
tumble of both horse and man. The best plan I found was to stalk them
between the bushes. I had a narrow escape with a lion on one of my
ostrich hunts. When chasing them at full speed, I had to leap a low
bush, no other opening being near; when half-way over, I saw a lion on
the other side close under the branches, who raised himself as if he had
been asleep--I partly passed over him. All I had time to see was his
great head and mane as he jumped up, but I was off and away before he
seemed to realise his position; at any rate he did not give chase, as I
thought he might do. I think my horse had some inkling of the same, for
he stretched out at his full speed. At night they became very
troublesome, prowling round the waggon, keeping us awake to prevent them
coming disagreeably close to the oxen and two horses fastened securely
by reins to the trektow and waggon. Not being hunted, they were very
bold. One night they killed a beautiful gemsbok within 100 yards of the
waggon; the long straight horns I secured the next morning.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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