ON THE MAMMALIA OF THIS DISTRICT. 215 



once lier eye caught sight of me, for I had now 

 sprung up, and never shall I forget the look of 

 wild reproach which she cast upon me. Shewas then 

 evidently debating whether she should charge me 

 or not. I was behind the tree in an instant, and 

 got the gun-barrels out of the stock, as the best 

 weapon I had at hand. She, however, thought 

 better of it, and after standing for perhaps half a 

 minute " backing and filling like a ship in stays " 

 — to use a nautical phrase — she walked quietly 

 down the swamp, with her calf at her side, allow- 

 ing me lots of time to have loaded both barrels and 

 fire again if I had had more bullets. In these 

 skalls it is a very good plan to have a couple of 

 bullets, properly patched, sewed on the outside of 

 your shooting jacket, as they are ready at hand and 

 torn off in an instant. I could see that she was 

 dreadfully wounded, for she could hardly get along, 

 and stopped three or four times on her road, and 

 I fancied on each occasion would drop. She, how- 

 ever, reached the next rise, her calf keeping pace 

 with her, and I lost sight of them for the time. 



It is not easy to express the mortification which 

 I felt at losing so splendid a prize as a cow elk 

 and calf, and all for want of a couple more bullets ; 

 and as soon as the excitement was over I must 

 say — I trust without being accused of maudlin 

 sentiment — that a feeling of remorse and pity rose 



