EVENING STROLLS WITH A RIFLE. 93 



made the men lie down, and crawled forward, keeping bushes and grass between us. 

 When I got to within about one hundred yards, I sat down and looked at them 

 closely to try to pick out the best horns ; but they were all ordinary heads. One 

 now presented a good chance, so I fired at its shoulder, and it came down after 

 rushing thirty yards or so. Another one offered a good shot as it stood half facing 

 away, so I took it about the kidneys and fired. 



It stood as if paralysed. I then gave it a bullet in the neck, which killed it. The 

 sole remaining one now offered a good chance, but I let it go, as two were all I 

 wanted. Having taken out about ten men, I was able to bring in all the meat of one 

 of the animals, while the other beast was covered up in the usual way, although, on 

 this occasion, I did not tie my handkerchief over it, and a leopard came and ate a 

 small portion of it in the night. Whether the handkerchief might have kept him 

 away I cannot say, though I have never had an animal interfered with at night when I 

 have hung my handkerchief over it, and on several occasions I have seen leopards 

 and hyaenas' spoor near the carcase, showing that it did some good in keeping them 

 at a distance. 



One afternoon, when I was living in a mud-house close to the Luangwa river, I 

 went out to try to shoot some meat, and walked to a place that was a favourite 

 haunt of a big herd of impala. I had seen this herd several times, and knew there 

 was a good ram with a pretty head running with the herd, but up to that time I had 

 not been able to get a good shot at him. 



When I got near the place I told the two men I had brought out to keep behind, 

 and I walked quietly up, making no noise, as I had on a pair of rubber-soled tennis 

 shoes. The rainy season was on, and the vegetation was beautifully green, so, 

 as impala are very easily seen, I soon got a glimpse of the herd. Lying down behind 

 a small bushy tree, I watched them feeding and playing themselves. The herd began 

 moving towards me, but I had not yet seen the ram I was after, although there were 

 two or three young males with horns only a few inches long. A doe, with a fawn, lay 

 down within fifteen paces of me, and it was very interesting watching her at such a 

 short distance. I was so taken up with my study that I had taken my eyes off the 

 other animals, for there were forty or fifty of them ; so when I looked at them again I 

 at last saw the male standing behind a forked tree. The herd began to get 

 suspicious; they seemed to know that something was wrong, but could not quite make 

 out what. Putting the rifle slowly to my shoulder, I fired through the forked branches 

 at the shoulder of the ram. At the report the other animals ran together, not quite 

 locating the sound of the shot; but I did not fire at another. Calling the men, we 

 took the spoor of the ram and found him lying dead in some grass a short distance 



