DOWN THE NILE; THE GIANT ELAND 449 



I had no chance to fire. By mid-afternoon on each day it 

 was evident that further following of the trail we were on 

 was useless, and we plodded campward, tired and thirsty. 

 Gradually the merciless glare softened; then the sun sank 

 crimson behind a chain of fantastically carved mountains 

 in the distance; and the hues of the after-glow were 

 drowned in the silver light of the moon, which was near- 

 ing the full. 



On the third day we found the spoor of a single bull by 

 eight o'clock. Hour after hour went by while the gun- 

 bearers, even more eager than weary, puzzled out the trail. 

 At half past twelve we knew we were close on the beast, 

 and immediately afterward caught a glimpse of it. Taking 

 advantage of every patch of cover I crawled toward it on 

 all-fours, my rifle too hot for me to touch the barrel, while 

 the blistering heat of the baked ground hurt my hands. 

 At a little over a hundred yards I knelt and aimed at the 

 noble beast; I could now plainly see his huge bulk and 

 great, massive horns, as he stood under a tree. The pointed 

 bullet from the little Springfield hit a trifle too far back 

 and up, but made such a rip that he never got ten yards 

 from where he was standing; and great was my pride as 

 I stood over him, and examined his horns, twisted almost 

 like a koodoo's, and admired his size, his finely modelled 

 head and legs, and the beauty of his coat. 



Meanwhile, Kermit had killed two eland, a cow on the 

 first day, and on the second a bull even better than, al- 

 though not quite so old as, mine. Kermit could see game, 

 and follow tracks, almost as well as his gun-bearers, and 

 in a long chase could outrun them. On each day he struck 

 the track of a herd of eland, and after a while left his gun- 



