They might kill many quaggas before obtaining one that was hit in the proper place.

Besides there would be a waste of powder and bullets--a thing to be considered.
Why could they not snare the animals?
He had heard of nooses being set for animals as large as the Quaggas, and of many being caught in that manner.
Hendrik did not think the idea of snaring a good one.

They might get one in that way--the foremost of the drove; but all the others, seeing the leader caught, would gallop off and return no more to the vley; and where would they set their snare for a second?
It might be a long time before they should find another watering-place of these animals; whereas they might stalk and crease them upon the plains at any time.
Swartboy now put in his plan.

It was the _pit-fall_.

That was the way by which Bushmen most generally caught large animals, and Swartboy perfectly understood how to construct a pit for quaggas.
Hendrik saw objections to this, very similar to those he had urged against the snare.