He had ridden splendidly, and his b]ow
had been marvellously delivered at an extremely long reach, as he
was nearly out of his saddle when he sprang forward to enable the
blade to obtain a cut at the last moment. He could not reach the
hamstring, as his horse could not gain the proper position.
We all immediately dismounted; the horses were thoroughly done,
and I at once loosened the girths and contemplated my steed
Tetel, who with head lowered, and legs wide apart, was a
tolerable example of the effects of pace. The other aggageers
shortly arrived, and as the rival Abou Do joined us, Taher
Sheriff quietly wiped the blood off his sword without making a
remark; this was a bitter moment for the discomfited Abou Do.
Although we had failed, I never enjoyed a hunt so much either
before or since; it was a magnificent run, and still more
magnificent was the idea that a man, with no weapon but a sword,
could attack and generally vanquish every huge animal of
creation. I felt inclined to discard all my rifles, and to adopt
the sabre, with a first-class horse instead of the common horses
of this country, that were totally unfit for such a style of
hunting, when carrying nearly fifteen stone.
