3 o 4 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 



suspicion, feeding quietly by the way. When they 

 got to within eighty yards or so, I picked out the 

 bigger head and was only waiting for him to make 

 a slight turn before pulling the trigger, when bang 

 went the heavy rifle of one of my companions about 

 half a mile away. In an instant the two eland had 

 bounded off, and I decided not to risk a shot, in the 

 hope that they would soon settle down again and 

 give me another chance. 



Mentally blessing my friend for firing at this 

 untimely moment, I watched them make for a 

 belt of wood about a mile further on, hoping 

 against hope that they would remain on the near 

 side of it. No such luck, however, for they 

 plunged into it and were quickly swallowed up 

 out of my sight. Running to my pony, which 

 Landaalu had dexterously brought up, I galloped 

 in the direction of the spot in the trees where 

 the eland had disappeared ; but imagine my vexa- 

 tion when I found that I had to pull up sharp 

 on the edge of a nasty-looking swamp, which at 

 first sight appeared too boggy and treacherous to 

 attempt to cross. I rode up and down it without 

 being able to find anything like a really safe crossing 

 place, so in desperation I at last determined to take 

 the risk of crossing it along an old rhino path where 

 the reeds were flattened down. My pony floundered 

 bravely through, and eventually succeeded in get- 



