OUR FIRST HUNTING EXPEDITION 



lent me wings and my husband's stick managed 

 to pull me out, as my foot slipped back into the 

 water after I had reached the treacherous slippery 

 bank. 



When we reached the place where we had 

 thought we had seen the rhinos, we crept along 

 with our rifles loaded, and I know my heart was 

 wildly beating, as I expected every minute to see a 

 huge ugly beast dash out of a circle of bushes and 

 high stinging nettles round which we were walking. 

 My husband always tells a tale (much exaggerated) 

 against me, how that all along that march he hur- 

 ried to leave me behind, and I almost ran in the 

 swampy grass to keep up with him, holding my 

 handkerchief fluttering in the breeze while I stum- 

 bled along, telling him we were going the wrong way 

 of the wind and that the animals would scent us 

 and dash down wind after us. He always says that 

 I and my handkerchief would have frightened any 

 animal away he wanted to shoot. Seeing nothing, 

 we left that piece of cover and went down to a 

 fourth river ; there I saw a beast I did not know the 

 name of, though I knew it was not a rhino. I gave 

 a note of warning and down we all fell on our knees, 

 while Saidi called out, " Shoot ! shoot ! " My hus- 

 band, in the excitement of the moment, and not 

 having time to think as the animal dashed away^ 

 shot, and then to his chagrin discovered that he had 

 killed a female waterbuck, the male having made off. 



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