the muzzle of the rifle dipped regularly into the sand, 

 picking up a little in the barrel each time. There was 

 not enough to burst the rifle, but the effect was surpris- 

 ing. Following on a painfully careful aim, there was 

 a deafening report that made my head reel and buzz ; 

 the kick of the rifle on the shoulder and cheek left 

 me blue for days ; and when my eyes were clear enough 

 to see anything the stembuck had disappeared. 



I was too disgusted to move, and sat in the sand 

 rubbing my shoulder and thanking my stars that the 

 rifle had not burst. There was plenty to think about, 

 to be sure, and no hurry to do anything else, for the 

 noise of the shot must have startled every living thing 

 for a mile round. 



It is not always easy to tell the direction from which 

 a report comes when you are near a river or in broken 

 country or patchy bush ; and it is not an uncommon 

 thing to find that a shot which has frightened one 

 animal away from you has startled another and driven 

 it towards you ; and that is what happened in this 

 case. As I sat in the shade of the thorns with the 

 loaded rifle across my knees there was the faint sound 

 of a buck cantering along in the sand ; I looked up ; 

 and only about twenty yards from me a duiker came 

 to a stop, half fronting me. There it stood looking 

 back over its shoulder and listening intently, evidently 

 thinking that the danger lay behind it. It was hardly 

 possible to miss that ; and as the duiker rolled over, I 

 dropped my rifle and ran to make sure of it. 



Of course, it was dead against the rules to leave the 

 rifle behind ; but it was simply a case of excitement 

 109 



