44 WILD MEN AND WILD BEASTS. 



space, twenty yards in diameter, on the side of a hill. Beyond 

 was a dense thicket. On this side of him was a ravine, from 

 the sides of which grew bamboos, and one straggling clump of 

 these, about twenty yards from us, came in the line of sight 

 for the bull's shoulder. It was a moment of much perplexity. 

 The bull was by far the finest I had seen, and we knew that 

 if he advanced five paces he would be out of sight. He stood 

 broadside on, and, as the intervening bamboos were four and 

 five inches apart, I determined to take aim between them, 

 and, raising the single rifle, I fired. The bull made a start 

 forward, and stood for a few seconds on the verge of the 

 thicket. I told Emaum to fire with the smoothbore, which 

 he did at once, and the bull disappeared. Emaum was much 

 disgusted, as the bull had shown no signs of being hit. How- 

 ever, I carefully examined the bamboos through which I had 

 fired, and, finding no mark, I assured him that the bull was 

 not unscathed. We had just reloaded when we heard loud 

 snorts from the thicket, and the African features of Emaum 

 relaxed into a broad grin as he sprang behind the nearest 

 tree in expectation of a charge. The ravine, however, was 

 between us and the bull, and I knew that we were tolerably 

 safe. Presently we heard more snorts, and a heavy fall, 

 followed by a crashing of bamboos. Emaum shouted that the 

 bull was down, and was lashing out ; but we could see no- 

 thing owing to the density of the covert. Soon the kicks 

 seemed weaker, and we advanced, running forward from tree 

 to tree. There lay the mighty bull at his last gasp. He had 

 not run thirty yards from where we had first seen him, but 

 had stood, sending the blood from his nostrils over the bushes, 

 many feet higher than his head. My shot had taken him 

 about half-way up his body, behind the shoulder, and 

 Emaum's farther back. As he lay on the ground we measured 



