MY THREE SEA-COWS. 6 1 



However, Moyen stretched out the handle of his 

 assegai, and by grasping it I managed to steady myself 

 sufficiently to get across without mishap. 



The next CafTre brought over my rifle. I now climbed 

 upon the boulder, and lying on my face peered over. 

 Yes, there he was fast asleep and almost broadside on. 

 Distance is deceiving. From the shore he appeared 

 to be not more than forty yards from our boulder, but 

 he was at least fifty-five yards off. This seems near 

 enough for anything ; but it is necessary to remember 

 that a sea-cow must be shot exactly in the right spot to 

 an inch, and it is difficult to make fine shooting with 

 large bore rifles and heavy charges of powder. 



There was no necessity for hurry, so I waited to 

 allow my nerves to regain their steadiness, and then sat 

 down to take a shot at him. 



I shot him between the eye and the ear, killing him 

 stone dead. 



He was an immense brute, and must have weighed 

 half as much again as the cow I had previously killed. 



But now came the question : How were we to get at 

 him ? I knew it was hopeless to attempt to secure the 

 hide, but I wanted the two large curved tusks in the 

 under jaw. 



We returned to our own shore, and held a council. 

 Moyen and another Caffre agreed to make a raft and 

 launch it higher up stream and drift down upon the 

 island where the sea-cow lay dead. They averred that 

 they could guide the raft with poles, and had no fears of 

 the crocodiles if I would lend them my single-barrelled ex- 

 press and a dozen rounds of ball. They said the croco- 

 diles were not very bold during the heat of the day, and 

 that they could frighten them by occasionally firing a shot. 



