our horses, and crossed the ravine between the two
hills on foot, taking care to keep well out of sight. I drew my charge
of shot and loaded, so as to have a bullet in each barrel; my friend
preferring two heavy doses of buckshot. All being in readiness, we
approached the ground that I had marked as the reitbok's lair, and were
within fifty yards of it, when the buck got the alarm and bounded off.
I had only a snap shot at him, my friend fired at the same instant, and
the buck fell. We ran up, and, to the evident disappointment of one of
the party, found that the buck had been killed by a bullet-wound which
had passed close to the backbone. There was not a single shot-hole in
him besides this one; there could be no mistake, therefore, about the
arm which delivered the death-wound. We brought the horses to the spot,
mounted the dead buck on my pony, and then took up a fresh line of
country in hopes of finding another buck. We went some distance with no
luck, when my dog flushed a covey of red-winged partridges. We
dismounted, and walked about beating the bushes, when I suddenly noticed
that he was pointing at a small clump of bush; he did not stand as
though it were a bird, but occasionally drew his head back quickly. I
called him away, fearing it might be a poisonous snake or a leopard,
and, approaching the bush with caution, peeped through the branches, and
saw the thick body of an enormous boa-constrictor moving very slowly
away. I instantly sent a bullet through the part of the body that I
saw, and sprang back, when the bushes were violently shaken as though
the constrictor thought this sudden attack was anything but
satisfactory. I now loaded the discharged barrel with a heavy dose of
buckshot, and advanced to the bush. Holding my gun out at arm's length,
I pushed the branches gently on one side to get a peep at my antagonist
and see how he liked what I had done. The snake was very artful, and
waited quite quietly until I stooped a little to get a better view, when
he darted out his head, making a sort of lunge at me; he opened his
tremendous jaws as he came, and then suddenly drew back. I stepped away
quickly to avoid this attack, and gave the boa my charge of buckshot
between the eyes before he got out of sight. Turning his head round, he
seized his body with his fangs, gave a wriggle, and died.

His mode of attack gave me an insight into the method by which this
species of snake destroys animals. T