98 RHINO AND GIRAFFES [cii. iv 



score a hit from horseback unless one is very close up ; 

 and Sir Alfred made up his mind to try to drive out 

 the bull from the rest of the herd. He succeeded ; but 

 at this moment his horse put a fore-foot into a hole and 

 turned a complete somersault, almost wrenching out his 

 shoulder. Sir Alfred was hurled off head over heels, 

 but even as he rolled over, clutching his rifle, he twisted 

 himself round to his knees and took one last shot at the 

 flying giraffe. This left Kermit alone, and he galloped 

 hard on the giraffe's heels, firing again and again with 

 his Winchester. Finally, his horse became completely 

 done out and fell behind ; whereupon Kermit jumped 

 off, and, being an excellent long-distance runner, ran 

 after the giraffe on foot for more than a mile. But he 

 did not need to shoot again. The great beast had been 

 mortally wounded, and it suddenly slowed down, halted, 

 and fell over dead. As a matter of curiosity we kept 

 the Winchester bullets both from Kermit's giraffe and 

 from mine. I made a point of keeping as many as 

 possible of the bullets with which the different animals 

 were slain, so as to see exactly what was done by the 

 different types of rifles we had with us. 



When I reached camp I found that Heller had 

 already started. Next morning I rode down to see him, 

 and found him hard at work with the skins ; but as it 

 would take him two or three days to finish them and 

 put them in condition for transport, we decided that 

 the safari should march back to the Potha camp, and 

 that from there we would send Percival's ox-waggon 

 to bring back to the camp all the skins. Heller and his 

 men accompanying him. The plan was carried out, 

 and the following morning we shifted the big camp as 

 proposed. 



Heller, thus left behind, cam_e near having an un- 



