THE SIGHT INCREASES. 267 



our hands and knees the grass did not reach our backs. 

 On attaining this next spot of observation I put down my 

 guns, and looked over the little hill, and to my astonish 

 ment, instead of one, there were two huge bulls standing 

 very quietly together. Having made every needful 

 observation, I returned to Bayard, told him what I had 

 seen, and we again got into the little hollow, well know 

 ing that, when we came to another rise in the plain, when 

 we looked over that we should be within eighty yards of 

 the two bulls. On reaching this spot, we both peeped 

 through the grass, when instead of two old bulls there 

 were now three, all standing quietly together, and the 

 ground afforded us even a further advance well screened 

 from observation. 



We reached then the last spot to which we could attain, 

 about fifty yards from the game, when, having first as 

 certained that the three old bulls were quite quiet, we 

 lay down to rest a moment from our long crawl on hand 

 and knee, to steady our hands, and to gain our breath. 

 We then agreed that I should take the first shot with 

 my single Manton rifle at one bull, and that Bayard 

 should then fire at a second ; my carbine and his 

 second barrel to be used according to circumstances. An 

 agreement was also made to fall on our faces the moment 

 we had fired, if either bull was then and there disabled, 

 to avoid being seen by an animal rendered furious, who, 

 on such occasions, almost to a certainty, if he detected 

 his assailants, would charge and trample them to death, 

 unless killed by a reserved fire. I then took steady aim 

 at the large bull that offered the fairest broadside ; but, 

 though I had purposely studied the figures of the bisons 

 at Taymouth Castle until my long supervision of them 

 made them give me a hint to be off, from the height of 



