THE LAND OF FOOTPRINTS 



grass. Our calculations were quite accurate. We 

 stalked successfully, and at last, drenched in sweat, 

 found ourselves lying flat within ten yards of a small 

 bush behind which we could make out dimly the 

 black mass of the largest beast we had seen from 

 across the way. 



Although it was now practically dark, we had the 

 game in our own hands. From our low position the 

 animal, once it fed forward from behind the single 

 small bush, would be plainly outlined against the 

 sky, and at ten yards I should be able to place my 

 heavy bullets properly, even in the dark. There- 

 fore, quite easy in our minds, we lay flat and rested. 

 At the end of twenty seconds the animal began to 

 step forward. I levelled my double gun, ready to 

 press trigger the moment the shoulder appeared in 

 the clear. Then against the saffron sky emerged 

 the ugly outline and two upstanding horns of a rhi- 

 noceros ! 



"i^^rtt/" I whispered disgustedly to Memba Sasa. 

 With infinite pains we backed out, then retreated to 

 a safe distance. It was of course now too late to 

 hunt up the three genuine buffaloes of this ill- 

 assorted group. 



In fact our main necessity was to get through the 

 river jungle before the afterglow had faded from the 

 sky, leaving us in pitch darkness. I sent Memba 



30 



