1 62 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 I 

 had missed him, and that he had made off through 

 the bush. I 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. 



