"So far so good; but how were we to get at it? It was ridiculous to risk a shot at that great distance, and yet both the ground and the wind lay very ill for stalking.It seemed to me that the only chance would be to make a detour of at least a mile or more, and come up on the other side of the koodoo.I called Harry to my side, and explained to him what I thought would be our best course, when suddenly, without any delay, the koodoo saved us further trouble by suddenly starting off down the hill like a leaping rocket.I do not know what had frightened it, certainly we had not.Perhaps a hy?na or a leopard--a tiger as we call it there--had suddenly appeared; at any rate, off it went, running slightly towards us, and I never saw a buck go faster.Iam afraid that forgetting Harry's presence I used strong language, and really there was some excuse.As for Harry, he stood watching the beautiful animal's course.Presently it vanished behind a patch of bush, to emerge a few seconds later about five hundred paces from us, on a stretch of comparatively level ground that was strewn with boulders.On it went, clearing the boulders in its path with a succession of great bounds that were beautiful to behold.As it did so, I happened to look round at Harry, and perceived to my astonishment that he had got his rifle to his shoulder.
"'You young donkey!' I exclaimed, 'surely you are not going to'--and just at that moment the rifle went off.
"And then I think I saw what was in its way one of the most wonderful things I ever remember in my hunting experience.The koodoo was at the moment in the air, clearing a pile of stones with its fore-legs tucked up underneath it.All of an instant the legs stretched themselves out in a spasmodic fashion, it lit on them, and they doubled up beneath it.Down went the noble buck, down upon his head.For a moment he seemed to be standing on his horns, his hind-legs high in the air, and then over he rolled and lay still.
"'Great Heavens!' I said, 'why, you've hit him! He's dead.'
"As for Harry, he said nothing, but merely looked scared, as well he might, for such a marvellous, I may say such an appalling and ghastly fluke it has never been my lot to witness.A man, let alone a boy, might have fired a thousand such shots without ever touching the object; which, mind you, was springing and bounding over rocks quite five hundred yards away; and here this lad--taking a snap shot, and merely allowing for speed and elevation by instinct, for he did not put up his sights--had knocked the bull over as dead as a door-nail.
Well, I made no further remark, as the occasion was too solemn for talking, but merely led the way to where the koodoo had fallen.There he lay, beautiful and quite still; and there, high up, about half-way down his neck, was a neat round hole.The bullet had severed the spinal marrow, passing through the vertebr? and away on the other side.
"It was already evening when, having cut as much of the best meat as we could carry from the bull, and tied a red handkerchief and some tufts of grass to his spiral horns, which, by the way, must have been nearly five feet in length, in the hope of keeping the jackals and aasv?gels (vultures) from him, we finally got back to camp, to find Pharaoh, who was getting rather anxious at our absence, ready to greet us with the pleasing intelligence that another ox was sick.But even this dreadful bit of intelligence could not dash Harry's spirits; the fact of the matter being, incredible as it may appear, I do verily believe that in his heart of hearts he set down the death of the koodoo to the credit of his own skill.Now, though the lad was a pretty shot enough, this of course was ridiculous, and I told him so plainly.
"By the time that we had finished our supper of koodoo steaks (which would have been better if the koodoo had been a little younger), it was time to get ready for Jim-Jim's murderess.Accordingly we determined again to expose the unfortunate sick ox, that was now absolutely on its last legs, being indeed scarcely able to stand.All the afternoon Pharaoh told us it had been walking round and round in a circle as cattle in the last stage of redwater generally do.Now it had come to a standstill, and was swaying to and fro with its head hanging down.So we tied him up to the stump of the tree as on the previous night, knowing that if the lioness did not kill him he would be dead by morning.Indeed I was afraid that he would die at once, in which case he would be of but little use as a bait, for the lion is a sportsmanlike animal, and unless he is very hungry generally prefers to kill his own dinner, though when that is once killed he will come back to it again and again.
"Then we again went through our experience of the previous night, sitting there hour after hour, till at last Harry fell fast asleep, and, though I am accustomed to this sort of thing, even I could scarcely keep my eyes open.Indeed I was just dropping off, when suddenly Pharaoh gave me a push.
"'/Listen!/' he whispered.
"I was awake in a second, and listening with all my ears.From the clump of bush to the right of the lightning-shattered stump to which the sick ox was tied came a faint crackling noise.Presently it was repeated.Something was moving there, faintly and quietly enough, but still moving perceptibly, for in the intense stillness of the night any sound seemed loud.
"I woke up Harry, who instantly said, 'Where is she? where is she?'
and began to point his rifle about in a fashion that was more dangerous to us and the oxen than to any possible lioness.
"'Be quiet!' I whispered, savagely; and as I did so, with a low and hideous growl a flash of yellow light sped out of the clump of bush, past the ox, and into the corresponding clump upon the other side.The poor sick creature gave a sort of groan, staggered round and then began to tremble.I could see it do so clearly in the moonlight, which was now very bright, and I felt a brute for having exposed the unfortunate animal to such agony as he must undoubtedly be undergoing.