92 THROUGH ANGOLA 



over a young calf. The cow killed had no calf, 

 but neither had she a head comparable to the 

 other. 



Even after the two shots, the herd would not 

 cove off, but stood bewildered and uncertain 

 what to do, and it was easy to realize how one 

 could kill many sable from one herd. Of course, 

 though begged to do so, I never fired again. We 

 watched the herd till dark; watched the mothers 

 drawing the young near them ; watched the 

 younger bulls, hesitating and uncertain w y hat 

 they should do ; for with the loss of the master 

 bull, another must take his place ' The King is 

 dead ! Long live the King ! ' The horns of this 

 bull measured 59 inches, those of the cow 30 inches ; 

 both their skins were in perfect condition, and 

 very suitable for museum specimens. 



I hope the reader will not judge me a butcher. 

 In the last six weeks I had killed only a dozen 

 animals of- all kinds a number scarcely sufficient 

 to supply our need in food ; during the whole five 

 months of the Angolan trip, my total bag was 

 only eighteen, while in my last half-dozen hunting 

 trips I had not killed fifty animals in all. 



It is difficult not to slaughter animals in Africa, 

 as the natives cannot understand why anybody 

 should let off a buck which he could kill ; and 

 their desire for meat is insatiable. Then, again, 

 food other than meat is not always procurable, 

 as was the case in our present hunting country, 

 where the villages were small and miserably poor, 

 and food had to be fetched at great expense from 

 Tetua, manv miles away. Tiic force of circum- 



