278 STALKING KOODOOS. 



and twenty yards ahead. I was much pleased at the 

 sight, being particularly anxious to procure some good 

 heads of these, by far the most striking and impos- 

 ing of all South African antelopes. 



Making my followers sit down quietly, as I was 

 still unperceived by the game, I stalked as near as pos- 

 sible, but from the nature of the ground could not 

 get nearer than a hundred yards. The herd consisted 

 of three bucks and two does. One of the former 

 stood broadside on to me, and from the moment- 

 ary glance I took at him, he appeared to be the 

 largest of the lot. Taking a steady aim, I fired 

 Rigby 10 at his deep shoulder. I heard the hit, and 

 the koodoo staggered for a moment, but recovering 

 himself, quickly disappeared in the jungle with the 

 remainder of the herd. Re-loading as I went, I fol- 

 lowed in the direction these animals had taken, as fast 

 as my legs would carry me, and had scarcely gone 

 two hundred yards when I saw three of their number 

 standing within a hundred and fifty yards of me, their 

 heads and ears erect, and looking intently in the direc- 

 tion from which I was coming. Singling out the finest 

 buck, I let drive. There was no mistake about a hit 

 this time, besides distinctly hearing the " thud " of 

 the bullet as it struck the mark. The buck fell on his 

 knees, but recovering himself, was off in a second. 

 I tracked him up by his bloody footprints for some 

 distance, when finding that he was going away from 

 the route which the other wounded one had taken, it 

 was deemed advisable to try and recover first the one 

 I had previously hit. Retracing my steps I soon found 

 the spoor, which showed that the wounded koodoo 



