124 
SOMALILAND 
excitement, as I tried at last to get a steady aim upon one. 
I pulled the trigger, and the oryx fell as if struck by light- 
ning, and never moved again. I deserved a kill after such 
a crawl. The oryx had a magnificent head, its horns 
measuring 32 inches in length, my best having been 33^ 
inches. The bullet had gone right through the shoulder, 
which in my experience kills much quicker than a bullet 
placed behind the shoulder. 
On coming home I found I had three men and a boy in 
hospital with fever, and two men with sore legs, and 
several others I physicked because they had shown temper. 
Next day I walked through thick bush and disturbed an 
oryx, which I perceived was wounded in one of his fore- legs. 
Seeing he was making for an open plain, I sent my syce 
after him on the pony, and so well did the boy make him 
gallop, that he stopped the oryx right in the middle of the 
open. I w^as running hard after my second shikari, who 
was carrying my rifie, when the silly idiot of a man let a 
large bush swish back right into both my eyes, rolling me 
head over heels backwards. I felt as if I had been suddenly 
struck blind. I sat down, and for upwards of half an hour 
I could not open my eyes, and when at last I did so I could 
see very indistinctly. 
As I sat in agony, up came my syce with a distressing 
story of how the oryx had broken bay, that he had again 
run it to a standstill by the edge of the bush, and had then 
shouted for my shikari to come up and shoot it. The fool of 
a man, instead of stalking it — which he could have done with 
the greatest ease under cover of the bushes — ran right out 
upon it in the open, when it broke the bay again, and 
slowly trotted into the thick bush, where it was impossible 
to follow it on horseback. I then rode the pony, which was 
led for me, home. After several hours of intense pain, I 
managed, by drawing all the curtains of my tent, and so 
keeping out the strong light, to get a little sleep. When 
I awoke I could see fairly well up to 30 yards or so, but 
after that all was blank. 
