the beast passed underneath his head I held out my rifle with one hand and pulled the trigger； the bullet went through its heart and it dropped like a stone。 Then I tied my handkerchief to its horn in order to scare away the aasvogel； and rode off to find the camp in order to get assistance。
All that day I rode； but I never found the camp on those vast； rolling plains。 Once towards sunset I thought that I saw the white caps of the waggons five or six miles away。 I rode to them to discover that they were but white stones。 A tremendous thunderstorm came on and wetted me to the skin。 In the gloom the horse put his foot upon a rolling stone that gave me a terrible fall that bruised and nearly knocked the senses out of me。
After lying a while I recovered。 Mounting again； I remembered that when I left the waggons the rising sun had struck me in the face。 So I rode on towards the west until utter darkness overtook me。 Then I dismounted； slipped the horse’s reins over my arm； and； lying down on the fire…swept veld； placed the saddle…cloth over me to try to protect myself against the cold； which at that season of the year was very bitter on this high land。 Wet through； exhausted； shaken； and starved as I was — for I had eaten nothing since the previous night — my position was what might be called precarious。 Game trekked past me； I could see their outlines by the light of such stars as there were。 Then hyenas came and howled about me。 I had three cartridges left； and fired two of them in the direction of the howls。 By an afterthought I discharged the third straight up into the air。 Then I lay down and sank into a kind of torpor； from which I was aroused by the sound of distant shouts。 I answered them； and the shouts grew nearer； till at length out of the darkness e