282 GIRAFFE HUNTING. 



Unless I had been starving, and then only with the 

 greatest reluctance, would I have drawn a trigger 

 upon them. Their conduct was so home-like, 

 exactly what every one has seen in some of our 

 pasture lands, that at once they gained a warm 

 and sympathetic place in my heart. Anything 

 that recalls home life is certain to do this even 

 among the most confirmed wanderers from their 

 native land. Close after these came some stragglers, 

 immediately followed by the main body, but I had 

 resolved to kill a giraffe and nothing else, their size 

 affording so much more food than any of the others. 

 At length they were abreast of me, the range was 

 about sixty yards, so I alligned my sight upon the 

 finest cow. Simultaneously with the report the 

 unfortunate fell, but a desperate effort placed her 

 again upon her legs ; however, the second barrel 

 once more brought her down, quantities of blood 

 now poured from the poor creature's mouth, 

 the legs and neck made a few convulsive violent 

 struggles, and in a minute or less the victim was 

 lifeless. 



Taking my rifle, I proceeded to the scene of my 

 handiwork (?), and had scarcely covered half the 

 distance when something moving caught my eye. 

 What it was I could not say, for some ant-hills had 

 most inopportunely hid it, but I was not long kept 

 in doubt ; a space where these impediments were not 

 so numerous occurred, and over it, in full view, 

 bounded a good sized leopard, breaking back 

 directly towards where the beaters were advancing 

 from. The shot presented was not an easy one, 

 and the range was a good hundred yards, so I 

 placed my Express to my shoulder ; but twice as I 

 was about to press the trigger ant-hills intervened. 

 At length I got a fair chance, and put in both barrels, 

 and missed, I won't say like a man, but like a duffer, 

 and the leopard seemed to think so ; for long after it 



