On second thoughts, I remembered the story of the husbandman and the frozen snake, which quite changed my intention.
"I next thought of killing him for venison; but having no bullet, I did not like to beat him to death with my gun.

Besides the aard-vark was my load to camp, and I knew that the jackals would eat the bull up before we could go back for him.

I thought it probable he would be safer left as he was--as these ravenous brutes, seeing him alive, might not so readily approach him.
"So I left him with his `head under his arm,' in hopes that we may find him there to-morrow." So ended Hans's narrative of his day's adventures..