ulman usage, and thinking we had done
enough if I could only return to the first wounded bull and settle him
too, we commenced retracing our steps, and by accident came on Grant.
He was passing by from another quarter, and became amused by the glowing
description of my boys, who never omitted to narrate their own cowardice
as an excellent tale. He begged us to go on in our course, whilst he
would go back and send us some porters to carry home the game.

Now, tracking back again to the first point of attack, we followed the
blood of the first bull, till at length I found him standing like a
stuck pig in some bushes, looking as if he would like to be put out of
his miseries. Taking compassion, I levelled my Blisset; but, as bad luck
would have it, a bough intercepted the flight of the bullet, and it went
"pinging" into the air, whilst the big bull went off at a gallop. To
follow on was no difficulty, the spoor was so good; and in ten minutes
more, as I opened on a small clearance, Blisset in hand, the great
beast, from the thicket on the opposite side, charged down like a mad
bull, full of ferocity--as ugly an antagonist as ever I saw, for the
front of his head was all shielded with horn. A small mound fortunately
stood between us, and as he rounded it, I jumped to one side and let fly
at his flank, but without the effect of stopping him; for, as quick as
thought, the huge monster was at my feet, battling with the impalpable
smoke of my gun, which fortunately hung so thick on the ground at the
height of his head that he could not see me, though I was so close that
I might, had I been possessed of a hatchet, have chopped off his head.
This was a predicament which looked very ugly, for my boys had both
bolted, taking with them my guns; but suddenly the beast, evidently
regarding the smoke as a phantom which could not be mastered, turned
round in a bustle, to my intense relief, and galloped off at full speed,
as if scared by some terrible apparition.

O what would I not then have given for a gun, the chance was such a
good one! Still, angry though I was, I could not help laughing as the
dastardly boys came into the clearance full of their mimicry, and joked
over the scene they had witnessed in security, whilst my life was in
jeopardy because they were too frightened to give me my gun. But now
came the worst part of the day; for, though rain was falling, I had not
the heart to relinquish my game. Tracking on through the bush,