MY FIVE BUFFALOES. 39 



in the hopes that he would resume his feed, but it was of 

 no use, for he gave the alarm, and the whole troop 

 thundered away over the little hill. 



However, fortune seemed determined to favour me 

 to-day. 



Moyen, who had an eye like a hawk, said, " Run, sir, as 

 hard as you can to the left front, round the shoulder of 

 the hill they will turn up the wind ". So we set off 

 as hard as we could, Moyen carrying my rifle. 



Just as we came round the edge of the hill, there, sure 

 enough, was the troop thundering along, they were taking 

 a sort of diagonal course away from us and yet round us. 

 They were almost out of shot already, being a good 250 

 yards away. My heavy double rifle was only sighted up 

 to 200, but as it was the last shot of the evening, I thought 

 I would try my luck. There was a particularly fine fat 

 bull pounding along last of all the troop, so I took a very 

 full sight and giving him plenty of room ahead, fired. 



I did not hear the bullet tell, but Moyen shouted in 

 ecstasy, " He has got it." I was doubtful, but we went 

 up to the spot and spoored on for a couple of hundred 

 yards, just over the next rise, and, to my joy, there he 

 lay panting with a ball through his liver. He was a 

 fine fellow, short in the head, thick in the neck and with 

 a body like a barrel. I gave him the coup de grace, and 

 Moyen shouted, "Five buffaloes in one day, and all as fine 

 as you could wish to see. The moment I get home I 

 shall present a fowl to the Fates. How lovely it would 

 have been had they only been Basutos ! " This was the 

 only occasion on which I succeeded in killing five buf- 

 faloes in a day, and I still recall the feat to my mind 

 with pleasure. 



We reached our little camp at dark. 



