THE -500 EXPRESS. 69 



inches, and he was in splendid condition. I could see nothing more that 

 day, so drove back to camp, late for dinner owing to the distance I had 

 wandered during the afternoon while searching for good buck. It was 

 by no means pleasant, jolting over the open country in the dark ! 



Another day I mounted my favourite mare, to whom the sight of game 

 was quite delightful. Nothing she enjoyed more than a gallop after a buck, 

 and it needed neither whip nor spur to urge her best speed on such an 

 occasion. I used to hobble her when making a stalk, and sometimes had 

 a weary task recovering her, as she was very nimble, and, even hobbled, 

 could get a mile away, and keep ahead, until the humour to evade me had 

 worked itself out. Well, I rode off! into the country to the east of the 

 road, with the '500 slung from the right shoulder, muzzle up ; it was quite 

 comfortable, and I could spare a hand to steady the butt. I followed a 

 country track for some three or four miles, turned off to the right, 

 and looked out for buck. Presently I spotted one lying down in a bare 

 tract that had been ploughed and let lie fallow. With the bridle on my 

 arm, I made a circle round, but before I had reduced the distance to 300 

 yards, he was up and away ; he was a very good one, so I mounted and 

 followed, hoping he might get into some country where a stalk would be 

 possible. He was much too wary, and I had to relinquish the chase. 

 Wandering on, I came to a slight rise, and found some six or seven buck, 

 with a few females, feeding not far from a crop that would give me cover 

 for a stalk. I dismounted, hobbled the niare, and left her there to attract 

 their attention, while I retired behind the rise and circled round for my 

 stalk through the cover. To my horror, as I crouched along, the mare 

 stumbled away and left me. Luckily, the antelope were so much interested 

 in her movements, that I was able to continue my stalk, and got a fair 

 shot at the best buck off the knee ; he was about 150 yards away, but 

 received the bullet a little behind the shoulder and dropped, kicking for a 

 moment only. I did the hallaling myself, repeating the usual blessing as 

 taught me in a district many miles away, and then turned to look for my 

 mare. She was in a nice green crop over a mile away, so I had to trudge 

 along, leaving the buck on the ground, but she moved on again when she 

 saw me coming, and defied me for nearly an hour. A solitary villager 

 then turned up and helped me to catch her. To my disgust, one stirrup 

 leather and iron were gone, and I had to follow her tracks for a long 

 way back before I recovered them : it was great luck doing so. The native 

 took the buck on his shoulders and started for camp ; I made a long 

 detour, seeing a few heads, but none worthy of a sportsman's attention. 



Many another pleasant afternoon I had, and sometimes a whole day, but 

 I never excelled my morning's work when I got the three, averaging 20in., 

 before noon. Once in a way I got a right and left at good heads, but it 

 is seldom that two worth having are found together, except iii the Punjab, 

 where they are few but good. 



Once I found a good buck lying down on a rise, about 100 yards from 

 A green crop that was not very high. I made the stalk between, as I 



