392 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



not, but it was now transformed into a perfect little 

 demon, charging people, dogs, and even the waggon 

 wheel, with great fury. I now passed an ox-rein 

 round its neck, and behind one shoulder, when it 

 rushed alternately to the length of its tether, spring- 

 ing from the ground in its fury, and then back again 

 at me, when it would inflict several bumps on my 

 knees with its nose. Its modus operandi was to lower 

 its head between its legs, and then, by throwing it 

 up perpendicularly, strike several blows in quick 

 succession with its nose. Small and weak as the poor 

 little creature was, it still battered my knees with 

 considerable violence. After being secured to the 

 waggon-wheel it presently became quieter, though it 

 still charged out to the full length of its tether at 

 any dog or person that approached it. It, however, 

 as I feared, obstinately refused all food, though I 

 have no doubt it would have drunk milk had we 

 had a cow with us ; so, knowing that to let it run 

 loose would be merely to condemn it to a lingering 

 death from starvation, or an equally painful one by 

 the fangs of lions or hya?nas, I judged it most merci- 

 ful to put a bullet through its head, which I did, 

 though not without regret, for I should much have 

 liked to rear it. 



The rains having now fairly set in, and the ground 

 being thoroughly soaked, we made but slow progress 

 with the waggons, and did not reach the river Gwenia 

 — which, as far as shooting is concerned, may be con- 

 sidered as the southern boundary of the Mashuna 

 hunting country — until the iith of December. 

 During all this time we saw no signs of elephants, 

 though we found other game fairly plentiful, and 

 shot a few rhinoceroses, elands, sable, roan, and 

 tsessebe antelopes, etc. Twice Cross, Wood, and I 



