A PROTRACTED CHASE 103 



came, and I drew a bead on him, but was 

 not as steady as I could have wished ; then 

 I rested the rifle in the V in the rock ; a 

 flash went through my brain. I saw it all 

 now. Fool that I'd been ; of course my 

 bullet had gone over the beast. I had 

 broken a fundamental rule, had rested the 

 rifle on a hard substance, and of course the 

 muzzle had jumped up a little on the ex- 

 plosion of the cartridge. If it be necessary 

 to rest the rifle at all it must be on some- 

 thing soft ; either your hand or your pug- 

 gree, or some substance that will "give." 

 That 's the last time I shall ever make that 

 mistake ; but it was an expensive experi- 

 ence, though I believe that no one ever 

 learns without having to pay for it in coin 

 of this sort. Here was the work of three 

 weeks lost through a single mistake ! 



The next second I was with Lassoo, ex- 

 claiming, " I know how it happened." Poor 

 old Lassoo was as sorry about the row we 

 had had as I was, and he looked up much 

 relieved, saying, " What was it, sahib ? " I 



