208 



THE HUNTER'S ARCADIA. 



to learn the cause. For some minutes I could observe 

 nothing ; at length slowly I made out, to my as- 

 tonishment, that not over twenty yards from me, on 

 the western ridge, was to be seen the head and 

 shoulders of a caracal, with a kid in its mouth, 

 obviously making inquiring observation of who and 

 what was the intruder that dared to place himself at 

 the entrance to its home. 



Slowly I raised my rifle, and as I did so the 

 object on which I was about to align my sight 

 appeared to become more prominent. With the 

 report came the thud, a sound indicative that the 

 bullet had sped truly to its destination, and the quarry 

 sprang into the air ; in doing so it dropped its prey, 

 and in a moment after the big cat had disappeared 

 down the front of the slope into the thick bush that 

 clothed the sides of the kloof. 



The echoes that answered the shot from the 

 adjoining rocks and krantzes had scarcely ceased to 

 respond to my rifle's report, when my companions 

 joined me. They knew well that I would not shoot 

 except at the game expected, and, of course, thought 

 that my aim had been successful ; so when they 

 did not find a dead caracal they were much dis- 

 appointed. 



