Lake Ngami/Chapter 22
CHAPTER XXII.
Three distinct species of oryxes[1] 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,[2] 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 
ORYX OR GEMSBOK.
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.
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.[3] 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[4] 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 Cumming, "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.
- ↑ Oryx capensis, oryx beisa, and oryx leucoryx.
- ↑ The numerous engravings of the leucoryx on the sculptures of Egypt clearly indicate that this animal was well known to the nations inhabiting the valley of the Nile. It was chosen as an emblem, but whether as a good or evil symbol is uncertain, though some modern writers seem in favor of the former opinion. The wealthy Egyptians kept a great number of this antelope in a tame state, but it does not appear to have been considered a sacred animal. Indeed, it was indiscriminately sacrificed to the gods, and slaughtered for the table.
- ↑ It is possible that heralds became acquainted with this animal, or at least with the leucoryx, through the Crusaders. Or perhaps the knowledge was obtained from the Romans, who, according to Martial, had the oryx at their games.
- ↑ For some curious remarks on the unicorn, see Barrow, vol. ii., p. 269, et seq.