menced 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. Taher Noor called to the camel-driver not
to attempt to follow. Although warned, this fellow
persisted in leading the heavily-laden animal down
the slippery and dangerous path. Hardly had he
gone a few paces, when the camel’s feet slipped,
and it shot down the rapid incline, and disappeared
over the edge of the precipice. I heard the camel roar,
and, hastening up the path, I looked over the cliff,
holding to a rope that Taher Noor fastened to a tree.
I perceived that the animal was fortunately caught
upon a narrow ledge of rock, and was prevented from
falling to the bottom by a tough bush that grew
from a cleft; this alone supported it in mid-air. My
Arabs were wild and stupid. Abdoolahi had held on
like a leech, and, as we were well provided with strong
ropes, we soon hauled him up, but the Arabs declared
their camel to be dead, as no power on earth
could save it. Having examined the cliff, I felt sure
that we could assist the camel, unless it had already
broken some bones by the fall; accordingly, I gave
orders to the Arabs, who obeyed implicitly, as they