A Red-Letter Day 



were not specially big, but the dreadful deed had 

 to be done in self-defence. It is somewhat start- 

 ling to be suddenly set upon, in an absolutely 

 unprovoked attack, by a couple of unwieldy 

 monsters who mean serious business ; one would 

 have been bad enough, but two together without 

 any warning makes one think a bit. 



However, there was ample meat for my 

 men, and rhino-tail soup for master, but I wanted 

 meat as well. After a short detour on the lower 

 slopes of the hill before returning to camp, 

 amongst some bushes, in half an hour or so, I 

 came upon two antelopes of the dik-dik species, 

 standing together about eighty yards away in a 

 small clearing. I had my Mannlicher with me, 

 and, sitting quietly down, put a lucky bullet be- 

 hind the shoulder of the nearest, killing him 

 instantaneously. His pal stood motionless, as 

 they will often do for a few seconds, which en- 

 abled me to reload, and by great good fortune 

 I shot him as well. I paced the distance and 

 found them both quite dead. There was meat 

 for me without further trouble. 



The dik-dik is almost the smallest antelope in 

 Africa, standing about eighteen inches at the 

 withers, and is very good eating. 



I had thus killed with two rights and lefts, 

 within half an hour of one another, specimens of 

 almost the biggest and the smallest animals in 



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