of the Old World. 399 



trail, which was very plainly marked with blood, 

 alone. 



The brushwood was very thick, and much impeded 

 my movements, so I got on but slowly ; but, by dint 

 of creeping on my hands and knees and scrambling, 

 I managed to get some distance into the cover, when 

 I heard a savage growl, followed up by a low grunt- 

 ing noise, evidently not far from me. 



I peered through the bush, but could see nothing ; 

 so, resting my rifle against the trunk of a tree, I 

 endeavoured to swarm up in order to have a better 

 look round. I had hardly raised myself a couple of 

 feet from the ground when, with a terriffic roar, the 

 brute, which must have got wind of me, charged. 

 Luckily, the bush was so thick in front that he 

 could not get at me very easily, but had to make a 

 turn which gave me time to seize and cock my rifle ; 

 and as his monstrous head, with flashing eyes and 

 open jaws, appeared about a couple of paces from me, 

 I gave him the contents of both barrels, which 

 almost stunned him, for he spun round and round, 

 and I had time to follow it up with my smooth-bore, 

 both bullets taking effect in the head ; but such was 

 the enormous tenacity of life that he managed to 

 tear out of the cover, rolling over and over as he 

 went. 



After reloading carefully, I followed up and found 

 him sprawling about on the ground, moaning pite- 



