I Could Do No More
Than Creep Quietly From Point To Point, Until The Smaller Animal
Should Start And Alarm The Larger.
This it did when I was about
a hundred yards from the large bull, and both mehedehets sprang
up, and, as is usual with this species, they stood for a few
moments seeking for the danger.
My clothes and hunting cap
matched so well with the bark of the tree behind which I was
kneeling, that I was unobserved, and, taking a rest against the
stem with the little Fletcher, I fired both barrels, the right at
the most distant bull. Both animals simply sprang for an instant
upon their hind legs, and fell. This was capital; but at the
report of the rifle, up jumped two other mehedehets, which
appeared the facsimiles of those I had just shot; having missed
their companions, and seeing no one, they stood motionless and
gazed in all directions.
I had left my people far behind when I had commenced the stalk,
therefore I had no spare rifle. I reloaded behind the tree with
all haste. I had capped the nipples, and, as I looked out from my
covering point, I saw them still in the same spot; the larger,
with superb horns, was about a hundred and twenty yards distant.
Again I took a rest, and fired. He sprang away as though
untouched for the first three or four bounds, when he leapt
convulsively in the air, and fell backwards. This was too much
for the remaining animal, that was standing about a hundred yards
distant--he bounded off; but the last barrel of the little
Fletcher caught him through the neck at full gallop, and he fell
all of a heap, stone dead.
These were the prettiest shots I ever recollect to have made, in
a very long experience; I had bagged four with the same rifle in
as many shots, as quickly as I could load and fire.
My Tokroori, Abdoolahi, who had been intently watching the shots
from a distance, came rushing up in hot excitement with one of my
sharp hunting knives, and, springing forward to hamstring one of
the animals, that was still struggling, he foolishly made a
downward cut, and, missing his blow, he cut his own leg terribly
across the shin, the knife flying out of his hand as it struck
against the bone: he was rendered helpless immediately. I tied up
the wound with my handkerchief, and, having at length loaded the
camel with as much meat as we could cut off the animals,
Abdoolahi was assisted upon its back; my men carried the two
finest heads. It was very late, and we now sought for a path by
which we could descend to the river.
At length we discovered a dangerous antelope-track, that
descended obliquely, by skirting an exceedingly steep side of a
hill, with a perpendicular precipice immediately below, that fell
for about seventy feet sheer to the river. My horse Tetel was as
sure-footed as a goat, therefore, having taken off my shoes to
avoid slipping, I led him to the bottom safely.
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