290 The Hunting Grounds 



Speed I knew would not avail me ; he would have 

 been down upon me before I could have clambered 

 up the bank, so I swung round and dropped on my 

 knee, to take a more steady aim. 



On he charged with a fiendish shriek of revenge ; 

 I let him come to within fifteen paces, when I let 

 drive, aiming between his eyes (my favourite shot) ; 

 but whether it was that I was unsteady, being breath- 

 less from my run, or that my rifle, which weighed six- 

 teen pounds, was too heavy, I know not ; but my left 

 arm dropped the moment I pulled the trigger (not 

 from nervousness, for I was perfectly cool and never 

 lost my presence of mind for a moment), and my shot 

 took effect four inches too low, entering the fleshy 

 part of the root of the trunk instead of penetrating 

 the brain. It failed to stop him, and before I could 

 get out of the way the huge brute was on me; I 

 saw something dark pass over me, felt a severe blow, 

 and found myself whizzing through the air ; then all 

 was oblivion. 



When I came to, I found myself lying on my face, 

 in a pool of blood which came from my nose, mouth, 

 and ears. Although nearly choked with clotted gore, 

 a sense of my perilous situation flashed across my 

 mind, and I strove to rise and look after my antago- 

 nist, but he was nowhere to be seen. 



I picked myself up, and although fearfully bruised 

 and shaken, found that no bones were broken. I was 



