238 STALKS ABROAD 



come out to feed in the early morning and late even- 

 ing. Almost with the first streaks of dawn they go 

 back to the bush, emerging from its recesses again 

 about four o'clock in the afternoon. They move about 

 among low cover, never going very far from one spot, 

 and often feeding within a circle of a few yards. 

 They have a rather secretive air, and keep in whatever 

 cover there may happen to be as much as possible. 

 Not infrequently they make nasty charges when 

 wounded, and their sharp horns are by no means to 

 be despised. A wounded buck of any kind takes a 

 lot more to knock him out than a stag. A well- 

 known American hunter told me he shot a water-buck 

 with a small-bore rifle, and, as he thought, killed him 

 dead. On going up to him, however, the buck jumped 

 to his feet, knocked him down and stamped on his 

 prostrate form with his sharp hooves, permanently 

 injuring his leg. 



After waiting some time we saw a bushbuck come 

 out, but his head looked small. He disappeared in 

 a thicket, and presently another and better buck 

 appeared. He walked straight into the bushes, 

 however, and never showed again. Just as it was 

 getting dark the first one reappeared and I fired 

 at him across the river. He gave a bound and 

 vanished. I waded across the river, and just as I had 

 given up hope found him lying dead in some long 

 grass. His head was not good for the district, but 

 quite respectable. The Old Pioneer had shot a beauty 

 a few weeks before, 17^ inches in length. 



