HNE NIGHT SHOOTING. 95 



before me. I lay enjoying contemplation for at least 

 fifteen minutes, and, most of them having then slaked 

 their thirst, I sent a ball through the heart of the best 

 headed pallah. I then took a long shot at the blue 

 wildebeest bull, and sent the other ball into his shoul- 

 der. I now came to the camp, and ordered the pallah 

 to be placed in front of my hole beside the water, to 

 attract the lions. Having taken my coffee, I returned 

 to the water with Kleinboy and Mollyee. It was bright 

 moonlight. We had scarcely lain down when the ter- 

 rible voice of a lion was heard a little to the east ; the 

 jackals were feasting over the remains of the white 

 rhinoceros of yesterday, and only one or two occasion- 

 ally came and snuffed at the pallah. Presently a herd 

 of zebras, accompanied by elands, approached the wa- 

 ter, but were too timid to come in and drink : a troop 

 of wild dogs now came" boldly up, and were walking 

 off with the pallah, when I fired into them. They 

 made off, but immediately returning and again seizing 

 my pallah, I fired again, and wounded one of them. 



Soon after we had Iain down a thundering clattering 

 of hoofs was heard coming up the vley, and on came an 

 immense herd of blue wildebeest. They were very 

 thirsty, and the leading cow very soon came boldly up 

 and drank before me. I sent a ball through her ; she 

 ran sixty yards up the slope behind me, and fell dead. 

 Her comrades then thundered across the vley, and took 

 up a position on th^ opposite rising ground. In two 

 minutes the hyaenas and jackals had attacked the car- 

 cass of this wildebeest. Soon after this a lion gave a 

 most appalling roar on the bushy height close opposite 

 to us, which was succeeded by a death-like stillness 

 which lasted for nearly a minute. I had then only one 

 shot in my four barrels, and I hastily loaded the ether 



