SECOND EXPEDITION TO EAST AFRICA 209 



fired the second barrel. He then stood, and I put 

 one or two more bullets into him, and he turned 

 and faced us, looking very sick. While I was 

 considering whether it was necessary to fire 

 again or not, Tagarru put a bullet from the 

 350 into his chest, and he fell. Tagarru was 

 very pleased with himself ; and I think that this 

 shot was partly responsible for the subsequent 

 indiscretion which nearly cost me my life. 



Both the bulls I shot had well-shaped, sym- 

 metrical heads, the measurement from horn to 

 horn outside at the widest part being 43 inches 

 and 42j inches. In the matter of size, however, the 

 heads were not specially remarkable, but a third 

 bull, which Gimlette and I bagged between us, 

 was a very large one, and has a fine head, the 

 measurement from horn to horn outside at the 

 widest part being 46! inches. 



On the day already referred to, on which 

 the Kikuyu porter was mauled by a crocodile, 

 Gimlette, when hunting on the right bank of the 

 river, saw a large bull-buffalo on the left bank, 

 and put a bullet into him from his "470 cordite 

 rifle. When I returned to camp he told me of 

 the incident ; and, after tiffin, we started to hunt 

 the wounded animal. As a tussle was probable, 

 I unwisely took out the spare "450 rifle, in addition 

 to my own "450 and the '350. Mabruki was away, 

 looking for the wounded elephant, but Gimlette' s 

 Swahili gun-bearer was with us, with Gimlette' s 

 350 magazine-rifle, and also one of the Askaris 

 with his Martini. 



We kept along the left bank of the river until 

 we came to the place where Gimlette had fired 

 14 



