32 Notes on South African Hunting, 
Some True Lies. 
Eventually one gets the ostrich near enough to 
shoot him. 
I shall never forget my first ostrich. I saw 
six of them^ who apparently had business 
elsewhere. In vain I tried to hunt them on 
the approved fashion ; they declined to turn. 
So, at last, I jumped off my horse and shot one 
through the wing with a *500 express bullet. I 
was getting on my horse again, and was half 
into the saddle, when I heard a rush like an 
express train. I looked around and saw the 
whole six come tearing past me about fifteen 
yards away. An ostrich running, looks as if 
his legs were a pair of huge compasses suddenly 
taken with a fit. I pursued my wounded bird 
for about two miles, over open flat ground, 
literally undermined with ant bear holes. Un¬ 
like Gruyere cheese, the holes were the worst 
part. At last the bird was about tuckered out, 
and with a lucky shot I cut his head off with a 
bullet. It is perfectly astonishing how little a 
bullet affects wild animals unless it strikes a 
vital spot. This ostrich had an expanding 
bullet inside him, and appeared rather to like 
it than otherwise. I have seen quagga with 
