136 ADVENTURES IN' SOUTH AFRICA 



former lashing the water with a force truly astounding 

 Clouds of sand accompanied him in all his movements, 

 the strong stream carrying him along witTh it, till at 

 length the struggle of death was over, and he sank to 

 rise no more. 



Following the windings oi the river, I detected a 

 small crocodile basking on the sand, when I gave him 

 a shot, and he instantly plunged into the river. A 

 little further on I wounded a third as he lay on a prom- 

 ontory of sand, and he likewise made the water. A 

 little further down the stream, yet another crocodile, a 

 huge old sinner, lay basking on the sand. I determin- 

 ed to make a very correct shot in this case, and set 

 about stalking him. Creeping up behind the truak of 

 a prostrate old tree, I took a rest and sent the ball into 

 his nostril, when he plunged into the river, coloring the 

 water with his blood. 



We now got into a fine green turn of the river, where 

 I saw a great many water-bucks. I shot one buck 

 pallah, and immediately after I came suddenly upon a 

 troop of five or six beautiful leopards. At the next 

 bend of the river three huge crocodiles lay on the sand 

 on the opposite side. Stalkipg within easy range, I 

 shot one of them in the head : his comrades instantly 

 dashed into the water, but he lay as if dead high on 

 the sand. A second shot, however, through the ribs 

 brought him back to life. On receiving it, he kept 

 running round and round, snapping his horrid jaws 

 fearfully at his own wounded side. In the convulsions 

 of death he made one run clean away from the water, 

 but another unlucky turn brought his head toward the 

 river, into which he eventually rolled. Galloping along 

 from this place to my wagons, I came suddenly upon a 

 lion and lioness lying in the grass below a gigantic old 



