TREKKING THROUGH THE THIRST 159 



Half a mile from camp I saw a buck tommy with a good 

 head, and as we needed his delicious venison for our own 

 table, I dismounted and after a little care killed him as he 

 faced me at two hundred and ten yards. Sending him 

 back by one of the porters, I rode on toward two topi we 

 saw far in front. But there were zebra, hartebeest, and 

 wildebeest in between, all of which ran; and the topi proved 

 wary. I was still walking after them when we made out 

 two eland bulls ahead and to our left. The ground was too 

 open to admit of the possibility of a stalk; but leaving my 

 horse and the porters to follow slowly, the gun-bearers 

 and I walked quartering toward them. They hesitated 

 about going, and when I had come as close as I dared, I 

 motioned to the two gun-bearers to continue walking, and 

 dropped on one knee. I had the little Springfield, and was 

 anxious to test the new sharp-pointed military bullet on 

 some large animal. The biggest bull was half facing me, 

 just two hundred and eighty yards off; I fired a little bit 

 high and a trifle to the left; but the tiny ball broke his 

 back and the splendid beast, heavy as a prize steer, came 

 plunging and struggling to the ground. The other bull 

 started to run off, but after I had walked a hundred yards 

 forward, he actually trotted back toward his companion; 

 then halted, turned, and galloped across my front at a 

 distance of a hundred and eighty yards; and him too I 

 brought down with a single shot. The little full-jacketed, 

 sharp-pointed bullet made a terrific rending compared 

 with the heavier, ordinary-shaped bullet of the same com- 

 position. 



I was much pleased with my two prizes, for the Na- 

 tional Museum particularly desired a good group of eland. 



