XXI A CHANCE FOR DINNER 451 



place ; and at last I had to lay the rifle on one side, 

 and take again to an old one which I had discarded 

 in its favour, having only just got it out from 

 England — this, indceci, being its first trial. 



Soon after this little incident we arain struck the 

 river, and whilst picking our way over the great 

 boulders through which it ran, came suddenly upon 

 a small herd of waterbucks, making their way across 

 a ledge of rocks towards a bushy island that lay just 

 in front of us. Here was another chance for dinner ; 

 we both fired, and I tumbled my buck off a stone 

 into the water ; but in a few moments he recovered 

 himself and plunged through the river and into the 

 thicket after the others. Jameson, however, struck 

 his in the right place, the expanding bullet smashing 

 its shoulder and blowing its heart to pieces ; however, 

 it did not fall at once, but rushed madly forwards for 

 about fifty yards, and had almost gained the shelter 

 of the bush before succumbino-. We crosseci over 

 to the island where it lay, and then followed mine 

 by the blood spoor, but as it took us out of the 

 way, and as we had meat enough, we left it, maybe to 

 recover from its wound, though I am afraid that the 

 chances are the poor animal fell a prey to hyaenas. 



The following day we crossed to the eastern 

 bank of the river, and from daylight till dark toiled 

 through a series of the most exasperating stony hills 

 that it is possible to imagine. Sometimes we kept 

 away from the stream to avoid those that sloped 

 precipitously to the water's edge, and whose sides 

 were too steep to afford a tooting. During the 

 whole day, however, we never saw a single head of 

 game ; indeed, the country was too rough for any- 

 thing but waterbucks or an odd black rhinoceros, 

 which both delight in rugged hills ; and even in the 



