192 SPORTING AND 



the game is to be found ; the shikari is 

 also a good hand at tracking wild animals, 

 therefore he is a very important personage 

 at a gathering of this sort. 



I received a reply in due time by the 

 messenger, accepting my invitation, but 

 first congratulating me on what my friends 

 were pleased to call my resurrection, as 

 one of the soldiers swore he had seen me 

 struck down dead; he had stooped over 

 me for a minute, and, seeing no sign of 

 life whatever, he was obliged to hurry off 

 to save his own, and I am confident the 

 poor fellow had only stated what he firmly 

 believed to be true. This note reached 

 me on the morning of the day on which I 

 arrived at the appointed place, and I did 

 not delay in making all the arrangements 

 necessary for our shooting the following 

 morning. 



