162 . LARGE GAME. chap. hi. 



they would start, and if I had only had bullets I might 

 have killed half of them. I could not, however, get a 

 satisfactory chance at her ; but at last, as she lagged a 

 little behind, I got a broadside shot and fired. My dis- 

 gust may be imagined at seeing the bullet, my last one, 

 strike up the dust on the other side of her. Of course I 

 thought I had missed, and was agreeably surprised when 

 she suddenly came to a standstill and then fell down, the 

 ball having passed through her. She was not dead though 

 unable to rise, and I had to wait so long, firing powder to 

 guide them, until the men came up with my pouch, that 

 when they at last arrived it was too late to go back after the 

 cow ; indeed, it was getting dark already, and there were 

 eight miles to go to camp through the pathless thorn jungle. 

 I was afterwards sorry that I had not slept out and got 

 her in the morning, as I should have been sure to find 

 her, my men having seen her as they passed standing a 

 few yards from where I left her ; and the hyenas are 

 such cowards that they would not touch her while alive, 

 though no doubt they ultimately had her. 



I got home a little after dark, having run all the way, 

 but the men lost themselves and did not arrive until three 

 hours later ; I found that H. had killed a zebra, and that 

 A. had had a chance at some gemsbok, but had missed 

 them. 



Next day we returned to the Sutu, though I should 

 have much liked another day after these eland ; but the 

 unhealthy season was rapidly coming on, and though I 

 did not intend to leave the country myself for some 

 months, both my companions, in common with all the 

 other European hunters, wished to do so, and were con- 



