Sporting Trips of a Subaltern 



running almost without intermission till 2.30 p.m., 

 seeing the koodoo again and again, but always 

 out of range. I had lost my hat long before, but 

 had left it for Spots to pick up, though it was 

 a broiling hot sun. Finally, I lost the spoor in 

 some stony ground, which fact, I think, saved 

 my life, though, strangely enough, I remember 

 feeling that I could go on for ever, till I turned 

 to go home, when I felt the effects, particularly 

 as I had broken my boots badly. I got back to 

 camp about 5 p.m., and at 5.30 went out with a 

 gun and shot some guinea fowl and lesser bustard, 

 finishing the day by tying up a goat for a hyena, 

 and sitting over him till half-past ten, when I 

 fell asleep, and being awakened by Spots, went 

 to bed, leaving him with the rifle. The hyena 

 came, and Spots, sitting just inside the zeriba 

 fence, missed him at a yard or so. 



I got two good Speke buck up here. One I 

 saw just before dark one evening. There was 

 little cover, and an attempt to stalk him on my 

 hands and knees proved abortive, he never letting 

 me get within 500 yards. At last, knowing 

 that in another quarter of an hour I should be 

 unable to see my sights, I got up and walked 

 unconcernedly parallel to him. He didn't seem 

 to connect me with the thing he had seen creep- 

 ing after him behind bushes, but, after going off 

 once, took but little notice of me, though he kept 



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