THE VENGEANCE OF THE WILD 265 



into his leg, whereupon death ensued from 

 blood-poisoning. Lord Egmont tells me of a 

 lively encounter which he recently had with a 

 male bushbuck, from the worst consequences 

 of which he was saved by the courage of a 

 friend's dog which happened to be with him at 

 the time. Here is the account in his own 

 words : 



"While out one day with a party of friends 

 driving bushbuck on the south coast of Natal, 

 I was posted on a ridge of land between two 

 large patches of bush. I had foolishly loaded 

 my breechloader with two different cartridges. 

 In the right barrel I had a Mooper' cartridge, 

 which only holds about eight very large shot, 

 and in the left a cartridge with No. 6 shot, 

 which are suitable for piviti, or small buck. 

 An inkonka, or male bushbuck, broke out of 

 the covert above me, and then swung round to 

 my right at the moment when I fired my right 

 barrel, with the result that only a couple of the 

 big shot hit him. This, without inflicting any 

 serious damage, enraged the animal, which at 

 once charged me. Forgetting that there were 

 only small shot in the other barrel, I fired 

 straight at his face as he came at me, and 

 when he was still perhaps twenty-five yards 

 away. This turned him, for he dashed down 

 into the dense bush behind me. Disliking to 

 let a wounded buck get away, I followed, 

 keeping to the narrow path that led through the 

 middle of the scrub. Before I got to the buck, 



