When Ready, I Tried
A Shot At The Sound One, But The Cap Snapped And Nearly Betrayed
Me, For They Both Stared At The Spot Where I Lay - The Sound One
Sniffing The Air And Tossing His Horns, But The Other Bleeding
Considerably.
Some minutes more passed in this manner, when they
allowed me to breathe freer by walking away.
I followed, of
course, but could not get a good chance; so, as the night set in,
I let them alone for the time being, to get out the following
morning.
21st and 22d. - At the place where I left off, I now sprang a
large herd of fifty or more buffaloes, and followed them for a
mile, when the wounded one, quite exhausted from the fatigue,
pulled up for a charge, and allowed me to knock him over. This
was glorious fun for the villagers, who cut him up on the spot
and brought him home. Of course, one half the flesh was given to
them, in return for which they brought us some small delicacies
to show their gratitude; for, as they truly remarked, until we
came to their village they never knew what it was to get a
present, or any other gift by a good thrashing.
23d. - To-day I tried the ground again, and, whilst walking up the
hill, two black rhinoceros came trotting towards us in a very
excited manner. I did not wish to fire at them, as what few
bullets remained in my store I wished to reserve in better sport,
and therefore for the time being, let them alone. Presently,
however, they separated; one passed in front of us, stopped to
drink in a pool, and then lay down in it. Not heeding him, I
walked up the hill, whilst the other rhinoceros, still trotting,
suddenly turned round and came to drink within fifty yards of us,
obstructing my path; this was too much of a joke; so, to save
time, I gave him a bullet, and knocked him over. To my surprise,
the natives who were with me would not touch his flesh, though
pressed by me to "n'yam n'yam," or to eat. I found that they
considered him an unclean beast; so, regretting I had wasted my
bullet, I went farther on and startled some buffaloes.
Though I got very near them, however, a small antelope springing
up in front of me scared them away, and I could not get a front
shot at any of them. Thus the whole day was thrown away, for I
had to return empty-handed.
24th to 30th. - Grant and I after this kept our pot boiling by
shooting three more antelopes; but nothing of consequence
transpired until the 30th, when Bukhet, Mahamed's factotum,
arrived with the greater part of the Turk's property. He then
confirmed a report we had heard before, that, some days
previously, Mahamed had ordered Bukhet to go ahead and join us,
which he attempted to do; but, on arrival at Panyoro, his party
had a row with the villagers, and lost their property.
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