They seemed as though they were never to end.

I had got the aard-vark over my shoulders, and was about heading homeward, when, to my astonishment, I observed that the bull-gnoo--not the one that had besieged me, but his late antagonist--was still out upon the plain where I had last seen him! I observed, moreover, that he was still in a sort of half-lying half-kneeling attitude, with his head close to the ground! "His odd movements seemed stranger than anything else.

I fancied he had been badly hurt by the other, and was not able to get away.
"At first I was cautious about going near him--remembering my late narrow escape--and I thought of giving him a wide berth, and leaving him alone.

Even though wounded, he might be strong enough to charge upon me; and my empty gun, as I had already proved, would be but a poor weapon with which to defend myself.
"I hesitated about going near him; but curiosity grew strong within me, as I watched his queer manoeuvres; until at length I walked up within a dozen yards of where he was kneeling.
"Fancy my surprise on discovering the cause of his oblique movements.
No hurt had he received of any kind--not even a scratch; but for all that, he was as completely crippled as if he had lost his best pair of legs.
"In a very singular manner was he rendered thus helpless.

In his struggle with the other bull, one of his fore-legs had, somehow or other, got passed over his horn; and there it stuck--not only depriving him of the use of the limb itself, but holding his head so close to the ground that he was quite unable to stir from the spot! "At first I designed helping him out of his difficulty, and letting him go.