226 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



rubs the horns, imitating the gestures pecu- 

 liar to the animal. His comrade follows, 

 treading exactly in his footsteps, and hold- 

 ing the guns of both in a horizontal posi- 

 tion, so that the muzzles project under the 

 arms of him who carries the head. Both 

 hunters have a fillet of white skin round 

 their foreheads, and the foremost has a strip 

 of the same kind round his wrists. They 

 approach the herd by degrees, raising their 

 legs very slowly, but setting them down 

 somewhat suddenly, after the manner of a 

 deer, and always taking care to lift their 

 right or left feet simultaneously. If any of 

 the herd leave off feeding to gaze upon 

 this extraordinary phenomenon, it instantly 

 stops, and the head begins to play its part 

 by licking its shoulders, and performing 

 other necessary movements. In this way 

 the hunters attain the very centre of the 

 herd without exciting suspicion, and have 

 leisure to single out the fattest. The hind- 

 most man then pushes forward his com- 

 rade's gun, the head is dropt, and they both 

 fire nearly at the same instant. The herd 



