ON THE HUNTING GROUND. 19 



like that of a great bass drum covered with ox-hide; 

 then he gave a short bark, followed by that formidable 

 roar which we have already heard of. 



The two men stood firm at their post for three long 

 minutes, waiting until the gigantic animal should be 

 sufficiently near. Arrived within a distance of about six 

 yards, the monster raised his head, roared again, and 

 beat his breast. He was on the point of moving for- 

 ward again, when two balls, fired at the same moment, 

 staggered him, and he fell at full length on his face, 

 dead. 



" I saw at once that we had the very animal I 

 wanted. It is the oldest of all my collection, and very 

 nearly the largest I ever saw. Gambo, who though a 

 young man was still an old hunter, said a few were 

 larger, but not many. Its height was five feet nine 

 inches, measured to the tip of the toes. Its arms 

 spread nine feet. Its chest had a circumference of 

 sixty-two inches. The hands those terrible claw-like 

 weapons, with one blow of which he tears out the 

 bowels of a man, or breaks his arms were of 

 immense muscular power, and bent like veritable claws. 

 I could see how frightful a blow could be struck with 

 such a hand, moved by such an arm, all swollen into 

 great bunches of muscular fibre, as this animal pos- 

 sessed. The big toe was no less than six inches in 

 circumference." 



c 2 



