274 AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 



and Gouvimali trotted fast on the trail, and in order to be 

 fresh for the shot I mounted Tranquillity. Suddenly out 

 bounced the wounded bull from some bushes close by, 

 and the horse nearly had a fit; I could hardly get off in time 

 to empty my magazine at long range fortunately with 

 effect. It was a magnificent bull of the variety called 

 Patterson's eland, with a fine head. Few prize oxen would 

 be as heavy, and in spite of its great size, its finely moulded 

 limbs and beautiful coat gave it a thoroughly game look. 



Oryx were now what I especially wished, and we devoted 

 all of the following day to their pursuit. We saw three bands, 

 two of them accompanying herds of zebra, after the man- 

 ner of kongoni. Both species were found indifferently on 

 the bare, short-grass flats and among the thin, stunted 

 thorn-trees which covered much of the plains. After a 

 careful stalk, the latter part on all-fours, I got to within 

 about three hundred yards of a mixed herd, and put a 

 bullet into one oryx as it faced me, and hit another as it 

 ran. The first, from its position, I thought I would surely 

 kill if I hit it at all, and both of the wounded beasts were 

 well behind the herd when it halted a mile away on the other 

 side of the plain. But as we approached they all went off 

 together, and I can only hope the two I hit recovered; at 

 any rate, after we had followed them for miles, the tough 

 beasts were still running as strongly as ever. 



All the morning I manoeuvred and tramped hard, in 

 vain. At noon, I tried a stalk on a little band of six, who 

 were standing still, idly switching their tails, out in a big 

 flat. They saw me, and at four hundred yards I missed the 

 shot. By this time I felt rather desperate, and decided for 

 once to abandon legitimate proceedings and act on the 



