A SLIGHT MISTAKE. 



225 



we did so, something jumped out of the bush, and rushed 

 through the long grass. I could only see a brown back 

 occasionally showing over the long Tambokie grass, but 

 fired where the movement was. Inkau instantly bolted 

 like a shot, while I followed him with equal rapidity, and 

 we stopped behind a tree at about sixty yards from where 

 I had fired. I loaded, and was then all ready for any 

 creature that might charge. 



I asked Inkau at what animal I had fired. He said, 

 " Don't you know?" I told him that I was not certain, 

 but fancied it might be the lion. He acknowledged that 

 he saw so little of the animal that he really could not 

 say : thus we had fired at a something, but neither of us, 

 although by no means novices, could tell what this was. 



We were most particular in our approach to the spot, 

 and threw several stones in advance, but saw nothing until 

 we came right on the body of a hyaena lying dead. The 

 shot had been a very lucky one, for, aiming well forward at 

 the moving grass, I had struck the hyaena with the bullet 

 under the ear, and it had passed through the skull, drop- 

 ping him dead in his track. We looked round the top of 

 the kloof for spoor by which to trace the lion ; none was 

 to be found, and we had to return without even the 

 satisfaction of a shot. 



I won an old lady's heart by a present of tobacco on 

 my return to Inkau' s kraal. She had been frequently look- 

 ing at me very attentively, and paid me some neat com- 

 pliments ; had she been young, and more like Peshauna, 

 I should have been flattered ; but unfortunately her ap- 

 pearance was not one that would be at all likely to inspire 



Q 



