geese. I took the rifle and waited for a long while, till at last my
opportunity came. I saw that the larger hen falcon was about to cross
directly over the circle of its mate, there being perhaps a distance of
ten yards between them. I aimed; I judged--for a second my mind was a
kind of calculating machine--the different arcs and speeds of the birds
must be allowed for, and the lowest was ninety yards away. Then, with
something like a prayer upon my lips, I pressed while every eye stared
upwards.

Down came the lower falcon; a pause of half a second, and down came the
higher one also, falling dead upon its dead mate!

Now, even from those Boers, who did not love to see an Englishman excel,
there broke a shout of acclamation. Never had they beheld such a shot as
this; nor in truth had I.

"Mynheer Retief," I said, "I gave you notice that I intended to try to
kill both of them, did I not?"

"You did. Allemachte! you did! But tell me, Allan Quatermain, are your
eye and hand quite human?"

"You must ask my father," I answered with a shrug as I sat myself down
upon my stool and mopped my brow.

The Boers came up with a rush, Marie flying ahead of them like a
swallow, and their stout womenfolk waddling behind, and formed a circle
round us, all talking at once. I did not listen to their conversation,
till I heard Pereira, who was engaged in some eye-play with Marie, say
in a loud voice:

"Yes, it was pretty, very pretty, but all the same, Uncle Retief, I
claim the match, as I shot six geese against five."

"Hans," I said, "bring my geese," and they were brought, each with a
neat hole through it, and laid down near those that Pereira had shot.
"Now," I said to Retief, "examine the wounds in these birds, and then
that on the second bird which the Heer Pereira killed when he brought
down two at once. I think it will be found that his bullet must have
splintered."

Retief went and studied all the birds, taking them up one by one. Then
he threw down the last with a curse and cried in a great voice:

"Mynheer Pereira, why do you bring shame on us before these two
Englishmen? I say that you have been using loopers, or else bullets that
were sawn in quarters and glued or tied with thread. Look, look!" and he
pointed to the wounds, of which in one case there were as many as three
on a single bird.

"Why not?" answered Pereira coolly. "The bargain was that we were to use
bullets, but it was never said that they should not