A FIRST PRIZE OF SUDAN 
157 
—had already stopped twice, and appeared on the point 
of abandoning further effort, when his sable pal, with at 
least one of their tawny consorts, deliberately turned back 
to the rescue of their disabled friend—surely a beautiful 
example of animal-sympathy? Supported thus on either 
flank, for a while my quarry gamely struggled onwards ; 
but soon it became obvious that the effort was beyond 
his ebbing strength. Then the gallant auxiliaries had 
perforce to abandon their attempt, and soon the whole 
herd proceeded full speed inland. I watched them afar, 
“bucking” like impala as they sped away in the direction 
of Timbuctoo. 
Meanwhile, the wounded ram slowly staggered away; 
and I watched with hungry eyes till he eventually lay 
down—luckily among some clumps of green iris, 400 
yards away. Now that green iris was invaluable as a 
mark ; yet well I knew—from much bog-trotting—that 
the presence of that plant ever bespeaks the deepest and 
most dangerous bog. 
Passing over unspoken the miseries of that quarter-mile 
traverse, I presently reached the edge of the iris. Here, 
as anticipated, the bog got worse and worse, so that to 
maintain equilibrium it became necessary to use both 
hands. I had just passed the rifle to Abdul Halim, my 
gun-bearer, when I all but stumbled right atop of the 
recumbent buck. Within a couple of yards he struggled 
to his feet and feebly strove to make off. Abdul was at 
my elbow ; but that volatile savage, seeing the sore plight 
of our quarry, and thinking to catch it by hand, dashed 
off in pursuit, leaving me unarmed and helpless—aye, and 
hopeless too. Within six seconds Abdul was bogged to 
the neck, and I trembled at the risk of the telescope-sight 
being submerged—what a fiasco! 
All odds now pointed to a total loss of our prize. With 
tottering steps the poor beastie struggled away, and hope 
died outright in my breast when time after time we utterly 
lost sight behind intervening clumps of cane-grass and 
