A PAUSE BEFORE A SHOT. 449 



looked from beneath the long rim of his light grass- 

 made cap. He saw that the buck had risen, and 

 was gazing steadfastly towards him. Seeing no 

 movement, yet apparently still but half satisfied, it 

 walked away, fortunately in a direction almost 

 exactly away from the mound, then turned again 

 to look. But this time its gaze was very brief. 

 It soon hung its head, then once more, with evident 

 pain, sank on its knees and lay down. 



Norman waited a full minute and then recom- 

 menced his stalk. By crawling, and waddling with 

 his knees bent double and his body carried low, he 

 at last managed to reach the mound without again 

 exciting the distrust of the antelope. But his chest 

 was heaving, and he was shaking all over from the 

 effect of his exertions. He therefore lay at length 

 behind the mound, without making any attempt to 

 peer through the bush, till he felt satisfied that he 

 had acquired sufficient steadiness. 



Many a head of game had he lost in his novitiate 

 from over eagerness, when with every fibre of his 

 body trembling, he had fired in the excitement of 

 fiiidinrr himself so near, without pausing to recover 



O * 



the calmness lost during the stalk. But experience 

 and practice had brought judgment, and power to 

 restrain the natural eagerness. When In: felt that 

 his steadiness had returned, he unstopped the rifle, 



