A SABLE HERO 91 



He had been behind, acting as a rear-guard, and 

 had grown suspicious of the two curious creatures 

 he had at last seen, and was now watching. Sud- 

 denly he left the herd and walked slowly back 

 towards us. The splendid beast had come back 

 to challenge the intruders. With neck arched, 

 mane erect, shaking his head and immense horns, 

 the big bull came towards us and away from the 

 herd. There were young bulls to be shown an 

 example, and there were all his harem to watch 

 his gallantry and gallantry it was. The bull 

 did not suspect that the two crawling things were 

 men for no antelope will face man, but he thought 

 we were leopards or wild dogs, terrible enemies in 

 either case ; and we might have been lions worse 

 enemies still. 



When 100 yards away, he stopped and began 

 to paw the ground a splendid sight ; and I 

 bitterly regretted the hopeless light and my useless 

 camera. Then something we did, or the sight 

 of my rifle, must have warned the sable that the 

 animals in front of him were men and no battle 

 was possible, for he turned suddenly and looked 

 back preparing, I think, to escape. The horns 

 looked what they were, nearly 5 feet long ; and T 

 was after all but the villain of the story, where 

 the sable was the hero ; and by these immense 

 horns I w r as tempted, and fired. The bull walked 

 forward very slowly for a few paces, and then fell 

 dead. The next shot bagged a cow, but though 

 still the villain, I will say this while tempted by 

 an easy chance at another cow with what looked 

 record horns, I stayed my hand because she stood 



