Sporting Trips of a Subaltern 



a fore leg without breaking the bone. We had 

 a second though shorter ride soon after. 



Next morning we soon sighted a herd, all bucks. 

 I got to within some seventy or eighty yards of 

 them, and had beautiful broadside chances ; but 

 the longest horns appeared to belong to one that 

 was lying in a fold of the ground, with only his 

 horns visible. While waiting for him to get up, 

 a native came along and sent them off so suddenly 

 that I never got a shot. 



The next buck to appear was standing out in 

 the open. We tried to get up on either side of 

 him, but after watching us from afar he gave two 

 or three bounds and went off in a cloud of dust 



behind some crops E 's way. I gave him up 



for lost ; but E went on, and I soon heard a 



rifle shot, followed by an unmistakable " phut. 7 ' 

 Jumping on my pony, I galloped round, but the 

 buck was down. The bullet had hit the top of his 

 skull, knocking off both horns, but hardly inflicting 

 a wound. He apparently was only stunned by the 



shock, for on E plunging his hunting-knife 



into his heart, he jumped up and struggled for a 

 second before succumbing. 



Shortly afterwards we saw a real big herd, and 

 it being my turn, I stalked to about 150 yards and 

 lay watching them. A very pretty picture they 

 were, no less than five real velvety-looking black 

 fellows among countless fawn-coloured does, 



70 



