The Journal of a Sporting Nomad 



front of the train at various times. I now 

 borrowed this man's gun, and seating myself 

 on the foot-plate in front of the engine, managed 

 to get a shot into a lot of these birds as 

 they ran in front of me. Altogether I picked 

 up seven, which I shared with the owner of the 

 gun. When we arrived at the thirty-mile peg 

 (or thirty miles from Fontesvilla) I saw a herd 

 of sassaby feeding quite unconcernedly within 

 sixty yards of the track, and the driver of the 

 train considerately pulled up for me to have a 

 shot. I hit a nice bull hard, but it got into a 

 large belt of reeds, from whence I was unable to 

 dislodge him, this, too, although I had my 

 boys out to help me in the search. The train 

 had to go on, and I very reluctantly left a 

 wounded beast. I hated to think of its dying 

 miserably from my want of skill, for I should 

 without doubt have dropped him in his tracks. 

 I had one more shot from the train a little 

 farther on. This was at a waterbuck bull. The 

 shot this time proved more successful, and my 

 boys brought the beast to the train, putting it 

 bodily into the truck with them. I set Cooe on to 

 taking off the head and neck-skin, and on arriv- 

 ing at Fontesvilla divided up the meat with the 

 various officials of the train and station, who 

 were delighted to get it. I put my boys up in 

 an old hut, seeing that they were provided with 

 the necessary food and blankets. I was wise, for 



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