250 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 
not at all like the look of him, and if there had 
been another tree close by, I should certainly have 
scrambled up it into safety before attempting to fire. 
As a matter of fact, however, there was no shelter 
of any kind at hand; so, as ] meant to have a try 
for him at all costs, I sat down where I was, about 
sixty yards from him, and covered his great head 
with my rifle. I was so breathless after my run, 
and my arms were so shaky, that it was all I could 
do to keep the sight on the fierce-looking target ; 
and I thought to myself, as the rifle barrel wobbled 
about, “If I don’t knock him over with the first 
shot, he will be out of these bushes and down on 
me like greased lightning—and then I know what 
to expect.” It was a most exciting moment, but in 
spite of the risk I would not have missed it for the 
world; so, taking as steady an aim as was possible in 
the circumstances, I pulled the trigger. Instantly 
the shaggy head disappeared from view, and such a 
succession of angry roars and growls came up out 
of the bushes that I was fairly startled, and felt 
keenly anxious to finish him off before he could 
charge out and cover the short distance which 
separated us. I therefore fired half a dozen shots 
into the bushes at the spot where I imagined he lay, 
and soon the growling and commotion ceased, and 
all was still. I was confident the brute was dead, 
so I called up one of the men to stay and watch the 
