At at early hour on the morning of the 16th, Paterson and I took the field, accompanied by our three after-riders, and having ridden several miles in a northerly direction, we started an oryx, to which Paterson and his after-rider immediately gave chase. I then rode in an easterly direction, and shortly fell in with a fine old cow oryx, which we instantly charged. She stole away at a killing2 pace, her black tail streaming in the wind, and her long, sharp horns laid well back over her shoulders. Aware of her danger, and anxious to gain the desert, she put forth3 her utmost speed and strained across the bushy plain. She led us a tearing chase of upwards4 of five miles in a northerly course, Cobus sticking well into her, and I falling far behind. After a sharp burst of about three miles, Cobus and the grey disappeared over a ridge5 about half a mile ahead of me. I mounted a fresh horse, which had been led by Jacob, and followed. On gaming the ridge, I perceived the grey disappearing over another ridge, a fearfully long way ahead. When I reached this point I commanded an extremely extensive prospect6, but no living object was visible on the desolate7 plain.
Whilst deliberating in which direction to ride, I suddenly heard a pistol-shot, some distance to my left, which I knew to be Cobus's signal that the oryx was at bay. Having ridden half a mile, I discovered Cobus dismounted in a hollow, and no oryx in view. He had succeeded in riding the quarry8 to a stand, and, I not immediately appearing, he very injudiciously had at once lost sight of the buck9 and left it.
Having upbraided10 Cobus in no measured terms for his stupidity, I sought to retrieve11 the fortunes of the day by riding in the direction in which he had left the oryx. The ground here was uneven12 and interspersed13 with low hillocks. We extended our front and rode on up wind, and, having crossed two or three ridges14, I discovered a troop of bucks15 a long way ahead. Having made for these, they turned out to be hartebeests. At this moment I perceived three magnificent oryx a short distance to my left. On observing us, they cantered along the ridge towards a fourth oryx, which I at once perceived to be "embossed with foam16 and dark with soil," and knew to be the antelope17 sought for. Once more we charged her. Our horses had now considerably18 recovered their wind, but the poor oryx was much distressed19; and after a chase of half a mile I jumped off my horse and sent a bullet through her ribs20, which brought her to a stand, when I finished her with the other barrel. She proved a fine old cow with very handsome horns; the spot on which she fell being so sterile21 that we could not even obtain the smallest bushes with which to conceal22 her from the vultures, we covered her with my after-rider's saddle-cloth, which consisted of a large blanket. The head, on which I placed great value, we cut off and bore along with us.
On my way home I come across Pater-son's after-rider, "jaging" a troop of gemsboks, but fearfully to leeward23, his illustrious master being nowhere in sight. An hour after I reached the camp Paterson came in, in a towering rage, having been unlucky in both his chases. I now despatched one of my wagons24 to bring home my oryx. It returned about twelve o'clock that night, carrying the skin of my gemsbok and also a magnificent old blue wildebeest (the brindled25 gnoo,) which the Hottentots had obtained in an extraordinary manner. He was found with one of his fore26 legs caught over his horn, so that he could not run, and they hamstrung him and cut his throat. He had probably managed to get himself into this awkward attitude while fighting with some of his fellows. The vultures had consumed all the flesh of the oryx, and likewise torn my blanket with which I had covered her.
Mr. Gumming thus describes an innumerable herd27 of blesboks which he encountered in the plains of Africa.
The game became plentiful28 in about ten days after we left Colesberg, but when we came to the Vet29 River I beheld30 with astonishment31 and delight decidedly one of the most wonderful displays which I had witnessed during my varied32 sporting career in Southern Africa. On my right and left the plain exhibited one purple mass of graceful33 blesboks, which extended without a break as far as my eyes could strain: the depth of their vast legions covered a breadth of about six hundred yards. On pressing upon them, they cantered along before me, not exhibiting much alarm, taking care, however, not to allow me to ride within six hundred yards of them. On, on I rode, intensely excited with the wondrous34 scene before me, and hoped at length to get to windward of at least some portion of the endless living mass which darkened the plain, but in vain. Like squadrons of dragoons, the entire breadth of this countless35 herd held on their forward course as if aware of my intention, and resolved not to allow one to weather them.
At length I determined36 to play upon their ranks, and, pressing my horse to his utmost speed, I dashed forward, and, suddenly halting, sprang from the saddle, and, giving my rifle at least two feet of elevation37, red right and left into one of their darkest masses. A noble buck dropped to the right barrel, and the second shot told loudly; no buck however, fell, and, after lying for half a minute the prostrate38 blesbok rose, and was quickly lost sight of amongst the retreating herd.
In half a minute I was again loaded, and after galloping39 a few hundred yards let drive into them, but was still unsuccessful. Excited, and annoyed at my want of luck, I resolved to follow them up, and blaze away while a shot remained in the locker40, which I did; until, after riding about eight or ten miles, I found my ammunition41 expended42, and not a single blesbok bagged, although at least a dozen must have been wounded. It was now high time to retrace43 my steps and seek my wagons. I accordingly took a point, and rode across the trackless country in the direction for which they were steering44.
I very soon once more fell in with fresh herds45 of thousands of blesboks. As it was late in the day, and I being on the right side for the wind, the blesboks were very tame, and allowed me to ride along within rifle-shot of them, and those which ran barged resolutely46 past me up the wind in long-continued streams. I took a lucky course for the wagons, and came right upon them, after they had outspanned on the bank of the Vet River. I could willingly have devoted47 a month to blesbok-shooting in this hunter's elysium.
The following is one of Mr. Cumming's most remarkable48 lion hunts.
We trecked up along the banks of the river for the Mariqua, and a little before sundown fell in with two enormous herds of buffaloes50, one of which, consisting chiefly of bulls, stood under the shady trees on one side of the bank, whilst the other, composed chiefly of cows and calves51, stood on the opposite side, a little higher up the river. In all there were at least three hundred. Thinking it probable that if I hunted them I might kill some old bull with a head perhaps worthy52 of my collection, I ordered my men to outspan, and, having saddled steeds, I gave chase to the herd of bulls, accompanied by Booi and my dogs. After a short burst they took through the river, whereby I lost sight of an old bull which carried the finest head in the herd. My dogs, however, brought a cow to bay as they crossed the river, which I shot standing53 in the water, but not before she had killed a particularly favorite bull-dog, named Pompey.
I then continued the chase, and again came up with the herd, which was now considerably scattered54: and after a sharp chase, part of which was through a wait-a-bit thorn cover, I brought eight or nine fine bulls to bay in lofty reeds at the river's margin55, exactly opposite to my camp; of these I singled out the two best heads, one of which I shot with five balls, and wounded the other badly, but he made off while I was engaged with his comrade.
In the morning I instructed four of my people to cross the river, and bring over a supply of buffalo49 meat. These men were very reluctant to go, fearing a lion might have taken possession of the carcase. On proceeding56 to reconnoitre from our side, they beheld the majestic57 beast they dreaded58 walk slowly up the opposite bank from the dead buffalo, and take up a position on the top of the bank under some shady thorn-trees. I resolved to give him battle, and rode forth with my double-barrelled Westly Richards rifle, followed by men leading the dogs. Present, who was one of the party, carried his roer, no doubt to perform wonders. The wind blew up the river; I accordingly held up to seek a drift, and crossed a short distance above where the buffalo lay. As we drew near the spot, I observed the lion sitting on the top of the bank, exactly where he had been seen last by my people.
On my right and within two hundred yards of me, was a very extensive troop of pallahs, which antelope invariably manage to be in the way when it is not wanted. On this occasion, however, I succeeded in preventing my dogs from observing them. When the lion saw us coming, he overhauled59 us for a moment, and then slunk back for concealment60; being well to leeward of him I ordered the dogs to be slipped, and galloped61 forward. On finding that he was attacked, the lion at first made a most determined bolt for it, followed by all the dogs at a racing62 pace; and when they came up with him he would not bay, but continued his course down the bank of the river, keeping close in beside the reeds, growling63 terribly at the dogs, which kept up an incessant64 angry barking.
The bank of the river was intersected by deep watercourses, and the ground being extremely slippery from the rain which had fallen during the night, I was unable to overtake him until he came to bay in a patch of lofty dense65 reeds which grew on the lower bank, immediately adjacent to the river's margin. I had brought out eleven of my dogs, and before I could come up three of them were killed. On reaching the spot I found it impossible to obtain the slightest glimpse of the lion, although the ground favored me, I having the upper bank to stand upon; so, dismounting from my horse, I tried to guess, from his horrid66 growling, his exact position, and fired several shots on chance, but none of these hit him. I then commenced pelting67 him with lumps of earth and sticks, there being no stones at hand. This had the effect of making him change his position, but he still kept in the densest68 part of the reeds, where I could do nothing with him.
Presently my followers69 came up, who, as a matter of course, at once established themselves safely in the tops of thorn trees. After about ten minutes' bullying70, the lion seemed to consider his quarters too hot for him, and suddenly made a rush to escape from his persecutors, continuing his course down along the edge of the river. The dogs, however, again gave him chase, and soon brought him to bay in another dense patch of reeds, just as bad as the last.
Out of this in a few minutes I managed to start him, when he bolted up the river, and came to bay in a narrow strip of reeds. Here he lay so close that for a long time I could not ascertain71 his whereabouts; at length, however, he made a charge among the dogs, and, coming forward, took up a position near the outside of the reeds, where for the first time I was enabled to give him a shot. My ball entered his body a little behind the shoulder. On receiving it he charged growling after the dogs, but not farther than the edge of the reeds, out of which he was extremely reluctant to move I gave him a second shot, firing for his head; my ball entered at the edge of his eye, and passed through the back of the roof of his mouth.
The lion then sprang up, and, facing about, dashed through the reeds, and plunged72 into the river, across he swam, dyeing the waters with his blood; one black dog, named "Schwart," alone pursued him. A huge crocodile, attracted by the blood, followed in their wake, but fortunately did not take my dog, which I much feared he would do. Present fired at the lion as he swam, and missed him; both my barrels were empty. Before, however, the lion could reach the opposite bank, I had one loaded without patch, and just as his feet gained the ground I made a fine shot at him neck, and turned him over dead on the spot. Present, Carollus, and Adonis then swam in and brought him through. We landed him by an old hippopotamus73 footpath74, and the day being damp and cold, we kindled75 a fire, beside which we skinned him.
While this was going forward I had a painful duty to perform, viz. to load one barrel, and blow out Rascality's brains, whom the lion had utterly76 disabled in his after-quarters. Thus ended this protracted77 and all but unsuccessful hunt; for when I at length managed to shoot him, the dogs were quite tired of it, and, the reeds being green, I could not have set them on fire to force him out.
The lion proved to be a first-rate one; he was in the prime of life, and had an exquisitely78 beautiful coat of hair. His mane was not very rank; his awful teeth were quite perfect, a thing which in lions of his age is rather unusual; and he had the finest tuft of hair on the end of his tail that I had ever seen in a lion.
In the chase, my after-rider, who fortunately did not carry my rifle, got a tremendous capsize from bad riding, a common occurrence with most after-riders who have been employed in my service. The afternoon was spent in drying the mane of the wet lion, skinning out the feet, and preserving the skin with alum and arsenical soap.
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收听单词发音
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1
trophy
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| n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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upbraided
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| v.责备，申斥，谴责( upbraid的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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retrieve
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| vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索 | |
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uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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interspersed
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| adj.[医]散开的；点缀的v.intersperse的过去式和过去分词 | |
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ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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bucks
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| n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
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foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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antelope
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| n.羚羊；羚羊皮 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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sterile
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| adj.不毛的，不孕的，无菌的，枯燥的，贫瘠的 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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leeward
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| adj.背风的；下风的 | |
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wagons
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| n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车 | |
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brindled
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| adj.有斑纹的 | |
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fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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vet
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| n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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locker
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| n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人 | |
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41
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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42
expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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43
retrace
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| v.折回；追溯，探源 | |
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steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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45
herds
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| 兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众 | |
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46
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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47
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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48
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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49
buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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buffaloes
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| n.水牛（分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种）( buffalo的名词复数 )；（南非或北美的）野牛；威胁；恐吓 | |
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51
calves
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| n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解 | |
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52
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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53
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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54
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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59
overhauled
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| v.彻底检查( overhaul的过去式和过去分词 )；大修；赶上；超越 | |
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concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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61
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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pelting
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| 微不足道的，无价值的，盛怒的 | |
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densest
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| 密集的( dense的最高级 )； 密度大的； 愚笨的； （信息量大得）难理解的 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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bullying
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| v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈 | |
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71
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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72
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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73
hippopotamus
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| n.河马 | |
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74
footpath
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| n.小路，人行道 | |
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75
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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76
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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77
protracted
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| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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78
exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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