STICKS BULLET." 123 



looking most interesting by the contrast which the white 

 and fawn robes of these antelopes produced with the 

 satiny green of the plain. 



I at length closed with the elands, and turned a bull 

 from the herd. I rode behind, and obliged him to keep 

 at a gallop, as this pace was more distressing to him than 

 the trot. Seeing another muddy place a short distance 

 in front, I pulled up, and as the bull was floundering 

 through it, I gave him the contents of both barrels in the 

 stern. He did riot fall, although I could see that he was 

 very badly wounded. I managed to get over this difficulty 

 with greater ease than the first, as the mud was not so 

 deep, and commenced loading as I rode. Upon taking 

 out rny bullets, I discovered that they were for my broken- 

 stocked gun, the bore of which was nearly two sizes larger 

 than the one I now had with me ; and this difference I had 

 forgotten in my hurry of changing. I thought that if I rode 

 steadily after the eland, his wounds would soon cause him 

 to fall. I tried this plan, but at the end of two miles saw 

 but little prospect of a successful termination. I then put 

 the bullet in my mouth, and kept biting it to reduce its 

 size ; at last I managed just to put it into the barrel ; but 

 when there, I could not persuade it to move farther. 



I could see no probability of my heavy sixteen-stone 

 friend coming, so I dismounted, and with the aid of a flint 

 on the ramrod hammered the bullet down about half-way, 

 farther, however, it seemed determined not to go. I 

 tried without success until the skin came off the inside of 

 my fingers. 



The eland had trotted down to some water, that flowed 



