A STRANGE STORY FROM THE TRANSVAAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 956, 16 May 1889, Page 33

A STRANGE STORY FROM THE TRANSVAAL.

Queer things happen in Africa, no doubt ; but a large amount of faith is necessary to the acceptance as exact history of an account given in the Transvaal Advertiser of the discovery of a new goldfield on the High Veldt. A well-known resident in the Republic went out to hunt one morning, and soon sighted a koodoo bull, which he tried to stalk. He succeeded in slightly wounding the animal, and then galloped after it in the open. While descending a stone declivity his horse stumbled ; he was thrown, and his rifle was broken. On seeing what had happened the koodoo turned round and at once attacked the pursuer, knocking him' to the ground and trying to kneel upon him. f

A CRITICAL SITUATION.

Grasping the animal's fore-legs tightly, the hunter succeeded in keeping the buck in an erect position. The horns of the antelope had evidently entered the bank to some depth, for the face "of the brute pressed upon the chest of the unfortunate man. Suddenly, however, the imprisoned hunters found that the buck was making strenuous efforts to extricate its horns from the veldt, but without avail, and he finally came to the conclusion that they had been driven so firmly into the ground as to resist all efforts of the animal to escape. He gradually tried to release the legs of the buck, and endeavoured to reach his pockets, in the hope of getting at his knife,' but in vain. In this manner buck and man remained throughout the heat of a broiling day, the koodoo moaning piteously the while. The shades of night gave relief for a while ; but, as the twilight deepened, the laugh of the hyaana and the yelp of the aardvark showed the hunter that he had other dangers to fear.

A NIGHT OF TERKOR.

As night came on these creatures, growing bolder owing to the silence of the group in the veldt, approached nearer, and the captive man not only saw the fiery gleam of their eyes, but finally had his coat sleeve grasped by one of the assailants, while the buck plunged as another attacked its flank. The hunter gave vent to a cry to drive off the fierce carnivora, and by dint of shouting and waving his arms, assisted by the kicks of the buck, he managed to keep off the brutes till daylight forced them to return to their holes. The dawn "betokened another hot day, and both man and buck were well-nigh worn out with the sleepless vigil of the preceding night. HE&P AEKIVES, AND IT IS DETERMINED TO

SEOUBE THE KOODOO ALIVE.

Shortly after daylight the ping of a bullet, followed immediately by a wound over his jior.eh.eaii a»d Jfae sound. o| the report of. a

ride, warned the hunter,, that, dangei was nigh. Crying ,out frantically, he waved his hands about, and^ suddenly, bethinking him him of the fact, h*e drew from- his pocket a , white handkerchief and let it flutter in the morning breeze. This had the desired effect, and the stranger —an Englishman — approashing, was soon informed of the plight his fellow man was in. All efforts to remove the horns of ,the buck, however, proved fruitless ; and, not wishing to destroy so fine an animalj the Englishman, after giving the Captive man a drop of brandy from hisflask, and placing his saddle-cloth under his head, rode off to the nearest farm, some six miles distant, for assistance. On returning with reins and spades, the legs of the buck were secured, and,areinplaced,round the neck of the subdued and terrified animal. A NUGGET OP GOLD ON EAOH HOBN. , After digging for some time the epade struck against some hard substance of a metallic nature; and further delving revealed the fact that the right horn was embedded in a mass of metal. More digging released both horns, each bearing a similar appendage, which, after the hunter had been released, were finally freed from the horns by the use of hatchets. The metal, to the astonishment of all present, was soon seen to be gold, and a further search led to the unearthing of smaller nuggets. The nuggets weighed 81b and 6£lb avoirdupois. The farm, a private one, is being diligently worked by several prospectors, and many small nuggets have already been unearthed, while pannings and sluicings in the spruit have provided considerably' more than "tucker."