AT FOUR HUNDRED YARDS. 355 



several times, and was, I thought, going to fall, 

 and so did not fire. But he soon recovered 

 and went on again, though at a much slower 

 pace. 



I then fired my fourth shot, which I saw 

 knock up some ground a long way short of 

 him. I had one more cartridge left, but my 

 moving mark was now, I verily believe, nearly 

 four hundred yards away, and for some 

 moments I held up my rifle, thinking it per- 

 fectly useless to fire again. Then I thought 

 I might just as well empty my magazine, so, 

 taking a very full foresight, and aiming well 

 in front, I fired, and to my very great astonish- 

 ment, the black creature immediately collapsed 

 and rolled on the ground. 



It was certainly a most remarkable shot, and 

 I think that I might fire away a whole box of 

 ammunition without ever again hitting so small 

 a moving object at such a distance. Perhaps 

 it was as well that neither of my men were 

 with me, or I might have made a reputation 

 which it would have been impossible to have 

 lived up to. 



