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hit him very hard ; nevertheless, he went off with 

 a rush up-wind. We started in pursuit, hardly 

 expecting to come up with him for some time, 

 but shortly made him out limping painfully along, 

 going straight away from us. We followed him 

 cautiously, rather expecting that in time he would 

 lie down. In that case we hoped we might be 

 able to creep close enough to give him the coup 

 de £-rdce. The hartebeest behaved as we had 

 expected, and we advanced warily to the spot 

 where he was lying. But he had taken the pre- 

 caution to lie down facing the way he had come, 

 and, rising with a sudden rush, was off again. 

 The next time — about half a mile further — we 

 profited by our former discomfiture. Having 

 marked the spot where he was hidden in the 

 grass, we made a short detour to take him in 

 flank, and — got him. Our victim had behaved in a 

 characteristic manner. When a stricken animal 

 bolts up-wind he faces the known danger behind, 

 whilst his nose instantly warns him of possible 

 enemies in front. If an animal dashes away 

 down-wind on being hit with a bullet, he is 

 usually only slightly hurt, as well as much 

 frightened, and will chance an unknown danger 

 so long as he can keep well clear of his deadly 

 enemy — man. 



Little incidents such as these, when of daily 

 occurrence, teach a man far more than the peru- 

 sal of hundreds of books ; and it is only a matter 

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