342 HEEDS OF WATERBUCK. Chap. XVII. 



but they liave frequently gone off, as if unhurt, with two or 

 three Enfield bullets in the lungs or other parts of the body. 

 The lungs seemed to have numerous fibrous septa running 

 into their substance, so as to form a congeries of small lobes, 

 one of which might be wounded without much injury to the 

 others; but while trying to find in this an explanation of 

 the fact that a wound in the lungs of waterbucks did not 

 kill, we never had the means and time for careful dissection. 

 A fine male ran full speed upwards of two hundred yards 

 with part of the heart blown out by a Jacob's shell. It was 

 hoped that Jacob's shells would put animals out of pain at 

 once ; but from exploding on a bone near the skin, or even 

 on the skin, they were found not to answer our expectations. 

 The Enfield ball, too, though propelled with prodigious velo- 

 city, is much too small to prove speedily fatal ; the large 

 two-ounce round bullet is the best of all, if it is well driven 

 home. Near the sea the meat of the waterbuck is always 

 juicy and well-flavoured, reminding one of beef; but in the 

 interior the flesh of the same kind of antelope is so dry and 

 tough, that at last even our black men, though far from 

 being fastidious, refused to eat it ; and we gave up shooting 

 antelojDes there altogether. It is said to be a Avell-attested 

 fact that the flesh of the sheep of the island of Halki is highly 

 esteemed, and has a delicious flavour, in consequence, it is be- 

 lieved, of the animals drinking salt-water only. The vegeta- 

 tion here has usually a quantity of fine salt in efflorescence 

 on it, and much of the water is brackish. The excellence of 

 the flesh may in this case also, perhaps, be attributed to the 

 salt. It was only after partaking of it in the interior, that we 

 understood why Captain Harris had so low an opinion of it. 



The reedbuck (Redunca eleotragus) commonly lies close in 

 the long grass during the extreme heat of the day, and waits 

 till the hunter is near, before bounding off and uttering its 



