Henri Marais, also in broken tones, implored me to shoot straight for his daughter's sake.

Then came Marie, pale but resolute, who said nothing, but only looked me in the eyes, and touched the pocket of her dress, in which I knew the pistol lay hid.

Of the rest of them I took no notice.
The moment, that dreadful moment of trial, had come at last; and oh! the suspense and the waiting were hard to bear.

It seemed an age before the first speck, that I knew to be a vulture, appeared thousands of feet above me and began to descend in wide circles.
"Oh, baas," said poor Hans, "this is worse than shooting at the geese in the Groote Kloof.

Then you could only lose your horse, but now--" "Be silent," I hissed, "and give me the rifle." The vulture wheeled and sank, sank and wheeled.