A NOW-OR-NEVER SHOT. 237 



Feeling desperately bloodthirsty, I determined 

 to go back to the place where I originally saw 

 the herd, and had not left camp an hour before 

 we came upon them face to face, just emerging 

 from some broken ground about 200 yards from 

 where we were. Fortunately the first goolja was 

 looking the other way, and down we dropped 

 on to the ,stones like logs. One by one they 

 came in sight, just too far to make a certain 

 shot. I neither moved a muscle nor winked 

 an eye, hardly even breathed. On they came 

 filing past, still keeping the same distance, rather 

 over 200 yards. 



Now that I had a good view of their heads, 

 they were rather disappointing : distance, as 

 usual, had lent enchantment, - - they were not 

 so large as could have been wished. For a 

 short time not one of them noticed us as they 

 pottered along grazing, but at last one of them 

 threw up his head and looked at us fixedly. 

 Would he make us out or not ? A terrible 

 moment of suspense ensued. Presently he gave 

 a stamp with his foot and the usual note of 

 alarm. Instantly every head was thrown up. 

 It was a case of now or never. Sitting up, I 

 covered what appeared to be the best one, 



