A PERVERSE SUBJECT. 243 



for his safety ; in fact, the Matabele king had told 

 me as much before I left his kraal. 



"While we were hunting up the ivory, 'my lord' 

 strolled off to look for game ; but, as he did not 

 come back when we were ready to return, I took a 

 couple of my people, and went in search of him. His 

 spoor led us from one copje to another, and, as we 

 thought it was probable he had returned to our 

 starting-place without us, we were about to give up 

 the search, when one of my men pointed out the 

 white man in a hollow scarcely three hundred yards 

 off, and at the moment in the attitude of firing. 

 At what ? Well, the same confounded old bull we 

 had seen earlier in the day. 



"The buffalo was not fifty yards from him, and 

 its manner showed that it meant mischief, for it 

 was tossing its head about and beating its flanks 

 with its tail. This was bad enough ; but, worse 

 still, there was not a tree or bush in any direction 

 within two or three minutes' run, that would afford 

 shelter, if our friend had to take to his legs ; and 

 this description of game can go almost as fast as a 

 horse for the first three or four hundred yards. I 

 would have raised my voice to shout to him to hold 



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