OF THE OLD WORLD. 235 



man of the day. It would have gladdened old Wal- 

 ter's heart to see one of his pupils do such credit to 

 his ' bringings up.' " 



" Yes, Hal, it was indeed a long shot, aiid I could 

 hardly believe my eyes when I saw him drop, but 

 the credit of it, if any there be, must be given to 

 old Purdey, the maker of your rifle ; for never do I 

 think that grooved bore threw lead so true, and I 

 now do not wonder at your luck in bringing down 

 the hatties (elephants) right and left. It 's the gun, 

 man ; it's the gun ! Look after the game, whilst I 

 pace the distance for my own satisfaction." 



This was done, and it proved to be five hundred 

 and forty-six paces, or allowing for inequalities in 

 the ground, about four hundred yards. Whilst 

 Chineah was despatching with his knife the still 



struggling doe that B had wounded, and 



B had gone to gather up his game, I went 



to look after the sentinel, which, to my surprise, 

 was nowhere to be found, although I saw him drop 

 the moment I fired, apparently lifeless. Whilst 

 looking about, I crept on my hands and knees to- 

 wards the edge of the precipice, and, lying my full 

 length, looked over, when, to my astonishment, I 

 saw the carcass on a narrow ledge of rock jutting 

 out of the scarped cleft about thirty feet from the 

 top. With the aid of my glass I could see that it 

 was a fine specimen with splendid horns, which I 

 determined, coute qui co'dte, should not be lost. 

 I scrambled carefully back, and explained the case 



