162 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 
with better success. I had gone only a short 
distance up the right bank of the river, when I 
thought I observed a movement among the bushes 
ahead of me. On the alert, I stopped instantly, and 
the next moment was rewarded by seeing a splendid 
bush-buck advance from the water in a most stately 
manner. I could only make out his head and neck 
above the undergrowth, but as he was only some 
fifty yards off, I raised my rifle to my shoulder to 
fire. This movement at once caught his eye, and 
for the fraction of a second he stopped to gaze at 
me, thus giving me time to aim at where I supposed 
his shoulder to be. When I fired, he disappeared 
so suddenly and so completely that I felt sure that | 
had missed him, and that he had made off through 
the bush. [| therefore re-loaded, and advanced care- 
fully with the intention of following up his trail ; but 
to my unbounded delight I came upon the buck 
stretched out dead in his tracks, with my _ bullet 
through his heart. I lost no time in getting back 
to camp, the antelope swinging by his feet from a 
branch borne by two sturdy coolies : and my unlucky 
friends were very much astonished when they saw 
the fine bag I had secured in so short a time. The 
animal was soon skinned and furnished us with 
a delicious roast for lunch; and in the cool of the 
evening we made our way back to Tsavo without 
further adventure. 
= caw hapet, eaten sated” zoe 
ae 
