THE HUNTERS' SUSPENSE 45 



seemed to be suspicious, for his muzzle was 

 held high and his large ears moved backward 

 and forward. Probably our camp had tainted 

 the air for miles in every direction. " Tshok- 

 ts-hok " uttered a paauw which we now noticed 

 for the first time. The bird was sauntering on a 

 zig-zag course and occasionally pecking among 

 the shrubs just beneath us. Its approach was 

 from the right; thus it was advancing towards 

 the oryx. The moment was a critical one; 

 should the paauw have taken alarm and flown, 

 the oryx would undoubtedly have galloped 

 straight out towards the plains as fast as his 

 strong legs could carry him. If, on the other 

 hand, the paauw passed and remained unaware 

 of our presence, the oryx would have inferred 

 that the coast in our direction was clear, and 

 accordingly have come unsuspiciously within 

 easy range. So we lay as still as mummies, 

 Hendrick and I, — almost afraid to breathe. 



The crisis passed. The paauw was soon 

 well beyond us, and the bull, accelerating his 

 pace slightly, advanced to his doom. O ! you 

 of the swift feet, the tireless thews and the 

 long, sharp horns that even the hungry lion 

 dreaded, — you had run your last course, you 

 had fought your last fight; the sands of your 

 lordly life were running low ! 



.' 



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