334 WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WAYS CIIAP. 



awkward animals to drive, and they will not go in the required 

 direction without considerable trouble. The driver has a tolerably 

 easy time if the cart forms one of a train along a good highway ; 

 in that case the bullocks will follow the line of route to the tune 

 of their jingling bells, but once off the road, and stalking black- 

 buck, when constant halts and turns are necessary, according to 

 the changing position of the game, a driver of a bullock-waggon 

 has enough to do. 



He drives his sharp-pointed stick into the hind-quarters of one, 

 then twists the tail of its companion till it is nearly fractured at a 

 joint, then tickles them both simultaneously by dexterously driving 

 his naked feet beneath their tails, as he sits upon the front bar of 

 his cart, and indulges in ceaseless jerks and spasms. All these 

 movements are really necessary to impel the bullocks, but they are 

 much against success when the greatest quiet should be observed. 

 In the meantime you walk either exactly behind or upon one side 

 of the sheltering cart, ready with your rifle for a shot at 100 

 yards, which, if the cart is well managed, you should obtain, 

 unless the black-buck have been much disturbed. 



lu this manner we succeeded in approaching the recumbent 

 buck to within 150 yards, before it rose lazily from the ground 

 and regarded us with some astonishment. The cart-driver turned 

 immediately towards the right, as though his intention was to 

 leave it unmolested on our left. 



The buck evidently believed in our innocence. After a half- 

 minute he again altered the course to our left to regain lost 

 ground, and by careful judgment we presently found ourselves 

 about 110 yards from the buck, which was standing up regarding 

 our bullocks with some curiosity. 



I now halted to fire, while the cart turned slightly to the right 

 but did not stop. This should always be observed, as, should the 

 bullocks halt for one instant, the buck would be off directly ; the 

 cart should pass slowly forward, leaving the shooter standing or 

 kneeling behind, as he may prefer. 



I had a '360 rabbit rifle, and as the buck faced me I fired a little 

 too low, and broke its fore leg just below the chest. For a moment 

 it fell, and I thought it was secure, but almost immediately it 

 recovered, and running down a gentle incline, it crossed a small 

 stream at the bottom, ascended the rough slope of rank grass upon 

 the other side, and remained standing upon the side of this rising 

 ground at about 200 yards' distance. I had reloaded, and not 

 being aware of the nature of the wound beyond the broken leg or 

 shoulder, I waited in the expectation that it would presently lie 



