im much time to think of his neck, so away they flew, hanging on
to the cart as best they could, and trusting to Providence to save them
from complete disaster. Now they were bounding over an antheap, now one
of the horses was on his nose, but somehow they always escaped the
last dire catastrophe, thanks chiefly to the little Hottentot's skilful
driving.

Whenever the game was within range they pulled up, and John would spring
from the cart and let drive, then jump in and follow on again. This
went on for nearly an hour, in which time he had fired twenty-seven
cartridges and killed three blesbuck and wounded a vilderbeeste, which
they proceeded to chase. But the vilderbeeste was struck in the rump,
and an antelope so wounded will travel far, and go very fast also, so
that some miles of ground had been covered before it began to rest, only
to start on again as they drew near. At last, on crossing the crest of
a little rise, John saw what at first he took to be his vilderbeeste,
dead. A second look, however, showed him that, although it was a dead
vilderbeeste, most undoubtedly it was not the one which he had wounded,
for that animal was standing, its head hanging, about one hundred and
twenty yards beyond the other buck, which, no doubt, had fallen to
somebody else's rifle, or else had been hit farther back and come here
to die. Now this vilderbeeste lay within a hundred yards of them, and
Jantje pointed out to John that his best plan would be to get out of the
cart and creep on his hands and knees up to the dead animal, from the
cover of which he would get a good shot at his own wounded bull.

Accordingly Jantje having withdrawn with the cart and horses out of
sight under the shelter of the rise, John crouched upon his hands and
knees and proceeded to carry out his stalk. All went well till he was
quite close to the dead cow, and was congratulating himself on the
prospect of an excellent shot at the wounded bull, when suddenly
something struck the ground violently just beneath his body, throwing up
a cloud of earth and dust. He stopped amazed, and at that instant heard
the report of a rifle somewhat to his right and knew that a bullet
had passed beneath him. Scarcely had he realised this when there was a
sudden commotion in his hair, and the soft black felt hat that he was
wearing started from his head, apparently of its own accord, and, after
twirling round twice or thrice in the air, fell gently to the earth,
just as