GIRAFFES. 249 



my first shot at the gallop. She got it through her ribs, 

 and the blood flowed freely. Again and again I broke 

 her from the troop, and again she joined them. At 

 length I fired my second shot at her stern ; after which, 

 by heading her, I brought her to a stand, when I sprang 

 from the fidgety, snorting Old Gray, and, hastily load- 

 ing both barrels, I fired right and left for her heart. 

 Her colossal frame shook convulsively for a few seconds, 

 when, tottering forward, she subsided in the dust with 

 tremendous violence. 



Four signal-shots brought Kleinboy and the pack- 

 horse, and also Isaac with the four guides. The chase 

 was all in thick forest, and had led me to within a few 

 hundred yards of the wagons. The hungry guides 

 seemed enchanted at the prospect of such a banquet. 

 They at once kindled a fire, and slept that night beside 

 the carcass. I returned to the wagons with my horses 

 laden with flesh. My mind was now once more at rest. 

 I went to my bed and slept soundly. During the night 

 lions roared around us. 



On the 19th I rose at dawn of day, and took a stroll 

 through the forest. Here I found some old dung of 

 elephants, and observed several full-grown trees torn 

 up by the roots, and others that had been shivered by 

 the gigantic strength of those animals. The guides, 

 finding that they prevailed nothing, at length volun- 

 teered to lead me to Bamangwato by a northerly course, 

 and promised that I should not lack for water. We in- 

 spanned, and held on till sundown, proceeding in a 

 northeasterly course, when we halted in dense forest 

 without water. Our march lay through an interesting 

 country well adapted for hunting the eland and giraffe. 

 The forest was in many places thin and open, with 

 here and there gigantic old trees of picturesque tippcar* 



L 2 



