64 THROUGH ANGOLA 



betrayed, my old enemy, the reed buck, again 

 spotted me as I crawled towards the sable, and 

 the little beggars began to whistle, telling all the 

 world of the danger. Something had to be done 

 and done quickly. The herd was still 400 yards 

 away and there was little or no cover. 



" I stalked rapidly and painfully over the 

 stubbly, burnt grass, but could not safely approach 

 nearer than 200 yards from the herd and 250 from 

 the bull, which was beyond them. At this distance 

 there was a little tree, and standing up behind it 

 I fired at the bull. Partly through excitement, 

 but mainly, as I found afterwards, owing to bad 

 ammunition, the first three bullets missed the 

 sable, apparently going high. Fortunately, the 

 herd could not find out where the shots were 

 corning from, and though restless, stood their 

 ground. Lowering my riile sights from the 200 

 yards' leaf to that of 100, I fired again, hit and 

 knocked over the bull. 



" With his fall the herd rushed off, sweeping 

 round in a magnificent gallop across my front, 

 some of the animals passing within 50 yards of 

 me, among them a younger bull, which carried a 

 brownish coat and horns of about 40 inches. The 

 wounded bull picked himself up and moved off 

 in the opposite direction to that taken by the 

 herd. He was followed up but could not be shot, 

 as my rifle, which had jammed after every shot, 

 had finally iammcd so hard that the breech 



J u 



would not open. Fortunately my boys had now 

 come up, and taking another riiie (the 0'280 Ross) 

 I approached the sable, who was walking slowly 



