MISTAKE. 297 



I have before mentioned one or two little open patches 

 on the top of the Berea. I was riding over these one 

 afternoon,, looking for fresh elephant spoor, when I saw, 

 about two hundred yards distant, a black object just 

 visible in the long grass, and there was no doubt in my 

 mind that it was a black bush-buck. I dropped off 

 my horse, and stalked with the greatest care to within 

 about eighty yards of it; I suddenly raised my head to 

 get a peep, and saw only a black back, and recognised 

 a little movement in the tail, which was very buck-like. 

 The object was partly hidden by bushes and grass; the 

 spot was most retired. 



I guessed where the shoulders would be, and sent 

 my bullet at them into the long grass; the animal fell 

 over backwards, and I rushed to the spot to discover an 

 old goat, shot directly through the heart. At the same 

 time a little Kaffir sprang up close to the corpse, in a 

 great fright. He informed me that this was the pet ram 

 of an old Kaffir who lived nearly two miles distant ; that 

 the grass having been burnt near his kraal, he had sent 

 his boy with the pet to graze on this spot, where the grass 

 was very good. It cost me three shillings to pacify the 

 old fellow, and an extra fee to secure his silence, as the 

 story would not have told well for me. This accident 

 I believe saved a Kaffir's life from being sacrificed to a 

 similar mistake ; for I again took for a buck a black object 

 in a most retired part of the forest. I was about firing 

 when I remembered the goat mistake, and approached a 

 little closer to have a better look. I was prepared in case 

 of the buck bounding off, when I gave a little whistle to 



