IN THE LAND OF THE BORA. 177 



sallied out before daylight. As a matter of fact, 

 it was a couple of hours before sunrise, but I 

 thought it later. There was a bright moou, half- 

 way through her third quarter, and it was really 

 as light as day. Before I reached the North 

 Camp, which marks the uttermost limit of the 

 town at that end, I turned up a winding military 

 road which communicates with the forts above. 

 At the end of the first zigzag is a shallow ravine, 

 and there my dachshunds at once commenced to 

 feather about. Directly after, I heard a stone 

 rattle at the other side of the little gorge, and, 

 rightly guessing what had dislodged it, I cheered 

 on the hounds. In two seconds they had crossed 

 the valley, and went off full cry. I sat down on 

 the roadside, very slightly covered by the biggest 

 thornbush about. The cry of the hounds died 

 away in the distance, and then swelled again. 

 Then I heard stones rolling once more, and 

 immediately afterwards a hare faced me, so close 

 that I could not shoot. Naturally she saw me 

 as soon as I did her, and she disappeared. I 

 sprang to my feet, and as I did so she crossed 

 an opening between two bushes higher up, giving 

 a snap-shot, which proved fatal. This was the 

 only small game I ever shot by moonlight, which 

 makes the morning a memorable one to me. 

 Hiding her under a rock, I resumed my walk, 

 and before long the little hounds were running 



N 



