A FIRST PRIZE OF SUDAN 157 



had already stopped twice, and appeared on the point 

 of abandoning further effort, when his sable pal, with at 

 least one of their tawny consorts, deliberately turned back 

 to the rescue of their disabled friend surely a beautiful 

 example of animal-sympathy ? Supported thus on either 

 flank, for a while my quarry gamely struggled onwards ; 

 but soon it became obvious that the effort was beyond 

 his ebbing strength. Then the gallant auxiliaries had 

 perforce to abandon their attempt, and soon the whole 

 herd proceeded full speed inland. I watched them afar, 

 " bucking " like impala as they sped away in the direction 

 of Timbuctoo. 



Meanwhile, the wounded ram slowly staggered away ; 

 and I watched with hungry eyes till he eventually lay 

 down luckily among some clumps of green iris, 400 

 yards away. Now that green iris was invaluable as a 

 mark ; yet well I knew from much bog-trotting that 

 the presence of that plant ever bespeaks the deepest and 

 most dangerous bog. 



Passing over unspoken the miseries of that quarter-mile 

 traverse, I presently reached the edge of the iris. Here, 

 as anticipated, the bog got worse and worse, so that to 

 maintain equilibrium it became necessary to use both 

 hands. I had just passed the rifle to Abdul Halim, my 

 gun-bearer, when I all but stumbled right atop of the 

 recumbent buck. Within a couple of yards he struggled 

 to his feet and feebly strove to make off. Abdul was at 

 my elbow ; but that volatile savage, seeing the sore plight 

 of our quarry, and thinking to catch it by hand, dashed 

 off in pursuit, leaving me unarmed and helpless aye, and 

 hopeless too. Within six seconds Abdul was bogged to 

 the neck, and I trembled at the risk of the telescope-sight 

 being submerged what a fiasco ! 



All odds now pointed to a total loss of our prize. With 

 tottering steps the poof beastie struggled away, and hope 

 died outright in my breast when time after time we utterly 

 lost sight behind intervening clumps of cane-grass and 



