chap. vii. HUNTING WITH DOGS. 325 



to shoot a jungle in Victoria county, attended as 

 usual by Usipingo, and while going along the outside 

 scrub a male bush-buck got up, and was missed by the 

 nearest gun. The hound, noticing that the boy who led 

 him was not attending, made a sudden spring and got 

 clear off, and in ten minutes had run the antelope, one of 

 a very slow species, to bay in an open near the stream ; 

 and when I at last got down there through the thick and 

 precipitous jungle I found an assemblage of natives standing 

 at a safe distance, with one great tall fellow, who, fearing 

 to go in front, had just managed to put a charge of buck- 

 shot into the beast's hind-quarters, occupied in loading his 

 gun, while a cur lay yelping on the ground more frightened 

 than hurt, and another snarled at the buck's heels, dis- 

 tracting his attention from Usipingo, who, all covered 

 with blood, stood just out of reach of his lowered horns. 

 Just as I arrived the furious animal wheeled round, and 

 catching the unfortunate cur that was yelping behind him 

 on his sharp horns, tossed it howling into the air, while 

 with a jerk of its head it again marked Usipingo, who had 

 taken the opportunity of springing at its throat. Unfor- 

 tunately the moment my dog saw me he redoubled his 

 efforts, and rendered it difficult for me to get a certain 

 shot ; but at last I did so, and the noble brute — for the 

 male bush-buck is the finest in appearance, as well as the 

 most plucky, of all the smaller antelopes — dropped dead. 

 My dog had in all seven cuts, two of which were nasty 

 ones ; but he recovered with a week or two's care, and 

 seven of these fine bush-buck were ultimately killed by 

 him without any help. That same day he caught two 

 red buck (Cephalopus Natalensis), which rush so violently 



