62 LARGE GAME CHAP. i. 



attempted to use them, but, unable to get them low enough, 

 took this method of raising me. 



It was the most dangerous movement of his whole 

 attack, for I particularly wished to sham death, and at 

 the same time had to resist his shoving with all my 

 strength ; however, I succeeded in retaining my position 

 without any apparent movement, and in a few minutes 

 he desisted. The next thing he tried, probably with the 

 idea of ascertaining whether I was really dead or not, 

 was to lick me over with his file-like tongue, an ordeal 

 which, as in several places it nearly rubbed the skin off, 

 was most trying to undergo without moving, and one 

 which apparently satisfied him that he had killed me, 

 though I have no doubt that he also felt very sick from 

 the effect of his wound, the blood from which had per- 

 fectly covered me, for after standing motionless watching 

 me for some minutes, he at last turned away, and, to my 

 great delight, re-entered the reeds. I lay perfectly still 

 until he was completely out of sight, for I could not reach 

 my gun from where I was, and then rising and loading the 

 discharged barrel, I also disappeared in the reeds. I had 

 not gone in on his spoor however, but crossing above it 

 (for the island was small), I skirted along outside to see if 

 he had gone out, and on finding that he had not, I again 

 entered exactly opposite to where he had gone in, and 

 after moving quietly forward for a few minutes I saw that 

 I had acted rightly, for I could see his black outline lying 

 down, with his head turned in the direction in which he 

 had come. He was not in a satisfactory position for 

 a telling shot, and as I had no desire for a repetition of 

 the late scene, and wanted this bullet to end the matter, 



