192 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WA YS 
CHAP. 
be concealed somewhere near, as the doe would not 
have appeared alone unless she had a young one 
lying hidden, which she had intended to suckle if 
undisturbed. 
Presently I saw him standing with his spear 
raised, aiming at something upon the ground. Upon 
approaching him, he asked if he should throw his 
spear ; but before I could reply, a calf that had been 
lying close, like a hare in form, sprang up and 
raced away at great speed. In an instant the 
spear flew from the upraised hand, and striking the 
calf, it passed just beneath the skin of the back 
without injuring the bone, and penetrated through 
to half its length, thus impaling the poor little 
animal transversely. 
Even with such an impediment, the strong young 
calf managed to get along, until at length it was 
captured by the active native. 
He now withdrew the spear and asked whether 
he should carry it alive to camp. At the same time 
the calf, wounded and terrified, screamed loudly; 
this noise appeared to give Shook a sudden 
inspiration. Telling me to kneel down, he beat the 
calf with his open hand, which made it repeat its 
cry of distress. In a few moments we heard a 
rush among the high grass, and as the cries of the 
calf continued, I saw a number of horns and heads 
appearing above the yellow grass, as the herd, 
leaping as they galloped, endeavoured to see the 
cause of the disturbance. 
In less time than it takes to describe the scene, 
