A GORILLA HIT. 469 



In the twinkling of an eye they were off ; and, 

 although I fired a snap-shot at one of them as I saw 

 its head rise above the brushwood, and heard the 

 " thud" of the bullet as it struck him somewhere 

 in the back, they got over the ground much faster 

 than I could follow. 



On going up to the places where they were 

 standing when I fired, I found two distinct tracks 

 stained with drops of blood ; and the wound of 

 the one which I first hit must have been very 

 severe, as, besides large gouts of blood here and 

 there, the ground was marked with bloody saliva. 



My people then came up, and one of the villagers 

 informed me that there was'a large prairie on the 

 other side of this belt of forest, so T determined to 

 try and beat them out. Going back to the place 

 where I left the rest of the people, I ordered them 

 to commence beating the wood as soon as they 

 were rejoined by Tom Dick, whom I took with me. 

 Then, skirting the edge of the cover, I took post 

 behind a bush on a rising ground in the prairie 

 beyond, from whence any animal that broke into 

 the open could be seen. I then sent the Krooman 



