CH. xv] ELANDS 441 



on the beast, and immediately afterward caufyht a 

 glimpse of it. Taking advantage of every patch of 

 cover, I crawled toward it on all-fours, my rifle too hot 

 for me to touch the barrel, while the blistering heat of 

 the baked ground hurt my hands. At a little over a 

 liundred yards I knelt and aimed at the noble beast. I 

 could now plainly see his huge bulk and great, massive 

 horns, as he stood under a tree. The pointed bullet 

 from the little Springfield liit a trifle too far back 

 and up, but made such a rip tliat he never got ten 

 yards from where he was standing ; and great was my 

 pride as I stood over him, and examined liis horns, 

 twisted almost like a koodoo's, and admired his size, 

 his finely modelled head and legs, and the beauty of his 

 coat. 



Meanwhile, Kermit had killed two eland, a cow on 

 tlie first day, and on the second a bull even better than, 

 although not quite so old as, mine. Kermit could see 

 game and follow tracks almost as well as his gun- 

 bearers, and in a long chase could outrun them. On 

 each day he struck the track of a herd of eland, and 

 after a while left his gun-bearers and porters, and ran 

 along the trail, accompanied only by a native guide. 

 The cow was killed at two hundred yards with a shot 

 from his Winchester. The bull yielded more excite- 

 ment. He was in a herd of about forty which Kermit 

 had followed for over five hours, toward the last 

 accompanied only by the wild native ; at one point the 

 eland had come upon a small party of elephant, and 

 trotted off at right angles to their former course — 

 Kermit following them after he had satisfied himself 

 that the elephants were cows and half-grown animals. 

 When he finally overtook the eland, during the torrid 

 heat of the early afternoon, they were all lying down, 



