126 MY SPORTING HOLIDAYS 



lying in the cover below, at my feet, so to speak, had 

 heard something above him, and had risen, as yet 

 uncertain what to do. I could not see his head, it 

 was under a tree ; but there was no mistaking the 

 body of a good bull. It was, moreover, an extremely 

 sporting chance. In three days my time was up, and 

 two more bulls yet to kill. My decision to take the 

 shot and chance the size of head was at once arrived 

 at. There was plenty of time to aim in this par- 

 ticular instance, the only difficulty being the danger 

 of shooting over the mark, as it was almost straight 

 down a perpendicular hillside. 



During the next twenty seconds or so the reports 

 of five consecutive shots from my *500 express rang 

 far and wide over wood and dale, startling Ivor, 

 Johan, and Rover some two miles away, and bringing 

 them hotfoot to the scene of operations. Shots 

 Nos. 1 and 2 were taken with the finest sight on the 

 lowest line of dark flank that I could see ; Nos. 3 

 and 4 as he moved a little, with a slightly fuller bead ; 

 No. 5 as he was passing out of view behind the trees. 

 Presently I heard the sound of a scuffle, a fall, a 

 dying grunt under the shadow of the pines below 

 me ; one bullet at least had found the mark. Then 

 all was still, and I became aware of two more elk 

 below me a cow and a spike bull apparently 

 wondering what all the noise above them was about. 

 After an interval they calmly fed on through the 

 trees and out of sight. But the bull was surely dead. 

 I waited, watching below me for the other members 

 of the syndicate, who presently appeared, Rover 

 straining at his leash. The following conversation, 

 yelled in stentorian tones from cliff above to wood 

 below and back, took place : 



