Horns 



exactly in front of me, and then hall 

 and looked about. 



If it is ever possible for one's spirit to look out 

 of one's eyes, mine assuredly did so then. The 

 bull had but to turn full-face in my direction, and 

 he could not fail to spot me, as there was 

 nothing to conceal me in front. My only pro- 

 tection consisted in having at my back a wall of 

 the high tussocky grass which resembled in 

 colouring my khaki kit. But those 18 yards in 

 front ! I remember thinking all this in a flash, 

 wondering whether I should have any chance 

 of stopping him with my last cartridge, wonder- 

 ing whether it would missfire and whether the 

 vault to the left I had determined on should the 

 bull charge would be frustrated by the tussocky 

 masses. That bull must have stood there five 

 minutes, and the strain of those minutes was one 

 that I am unlikely to forget. For some reason 

 he had got it into his head that the shots had 

 come from the direction of Kanig, or rather 

 where he had been when I left him, for he sub- 

 sequently told me that he had wormed his way 

 to a large ant-hill, where he was to all intents 

 and purposes safe. It was in that direction 

 that the bull kept his gaze mostly directed half 

 right. It only wanted another half right for his 

 glance to fall on me, and once or twice it came 

 perilously near to doing so, and I saw the eye 

 ablaze with a wild though curiously self-contained 



157 



