TREKKING THROUGH THE THIRST 159 
Half a mile from camp I saw a buck tommy with a good 
head, and as we needed his delicious venison for our own 
table, I dismounted and after a little care killed him as he 
faced me at two hundred and ten yards. Sending him 
back by one of the porters, I rode on toward two topi we 
saw far in front. But there were zebra, hartebeest, and 
wildebeest in between, all of which ran; and the topi proved 
wary. I was still walking after them when we made out 
two eland bulls ahead and to our left. The ground was too 
open to admit of the possibility of a stalk; but leaving my 
horse and the porters to follow slowly, the gun-bearers 
and I walked quartering toward them. They hesitated 
about going, and when I had come as close as I dared, I 
motioned to the two gun-bearers to continue walking, and 
dropped on one knee. I had the little Springfield, and was 
anxious to test the new sharp-pointed military bullet on 
some large animal. The biggest bull was half facing me, 
just two hundred and eighty yards off; I fired a little bit 
high and a trifle to the left; but the tiny ball broke his 
back and the splendid beast, heavy as a prize steer, came 
plunging and struggling to the ground. The other bull 
started to run off, but after I had walked a hundred yards 
forward, he actually trotted back toward his companion; 
then halted, turned, and galloped across my front at a 
distance of a hundred and eighty yards; and him too I 
brought down with a single shot. The little full-jacketed, 
sharp-pointed bullet made a terrific rending compared 
with the heavier, ordinary-shaped bullet of the same com¬ 
position. 
I was much pleased with my two prizes, for the Na¬ 
tional Museum particularly desired a good group of eland. 
