A FINE DAY'S SPORT. 255 



that he had hit nothing but the calf. The whereabouts of 

 the calf I knew myself, so, followed by one of my men, I 

 think by Philip Smith , one of the best of them, carrying 

 my old favourite muzzle-loading single John Manton rifle, 

 I went to look for it. The calf was only wounded, and 

 had lain down in some long grass, and I rode by the spot 

 without seeing him; not so my man, who was on foot 

 with my rifle ; he nearly trod on the calf, which, when 

 it got up to run away, he fired at and killed, for which he 

 got a good reproof for using my rifle without orders, as 

 I could have ridden the calf down without the waste of 

 ammunition. 



The waggon having been laden with the spoils, we 

 turned our heads towards camp, and very soon after be 

 held a fresh herd of bisons, full two hundred strong. 

 Bayard and myself and Mr Canterall immediately charged 

 they were considerably to my left, and went at a wing 

 of the herd in that direction ; while I, seeing the inclina 

 tion of the leading animals, and having Pape's double 

 rifle in hand reloaded, with a penknife to disengage 

 the cartridges after future explosion, was making 

 my way to the head of the retreating column, in the 

 hope of some part of the string passing me, after I 

 had reached the front and come to a momentary stand 

 still. Sylph was at tip-top speed flying in this direction, 

 when, some way ahead of me, only to my right hand, I 

 saw rise from his lair in some longer grass than usual a 

 beautiful male antelope, who, not seeing me, fixed his 

 full eyes in a stedfast gaze on the ruck of buffaloes and 

 their two pursuers. A very little inclination in my line 

 would bring me within distance of the new game, while 

 at the same time I should lose very little of my posi 

 tion in regard to the bisons, and I hoped to escape the 



