“Allemachte! that’s better,” said Hans.  “You threw stones on to all the other heaps, didn’t you, baas?”

The Zulus grew excited, and the odds went down a little.  The Boers stretched out their white faces and stared at me; I saw them out of the corner of my eye as I loaded again.  Another vulture came; seeing one of its companions on the ground, if in a somewhat unnatural attitude, perhaps it thought that there could be nothing to fear.  I leaned against my rock, aimed, and fired, almost carelessly, so sure was I of the result.  This time I did not shut my eyes, but watched to see what happened.

The bullet struck the bird between its thighs, raked it from end to end, and down it came like a stone almost upon the top of its fellow.

“Good, good!” said Hans with a guttural chuckle of delight.  “Now, baas, make no mistake with the third, and ‘als sall recht kommen’ (all shall be well).”

“Yes,” I answered; “if I make no mistake with the third.”

I loaded the rifle again myself, being very careful to ram down the powder well and to select a bullet that fitted perfectly true to the bore.  Moreover, I cleared the nipple with a thorn, and shook a little fine powder into it, so as to obviate any chance of a miss-fire.  Then I set on the cap and waited.  What was going on among the Boers or the Zulus I do not know.  In this last crisis of all our fates I never looked, being too intent upon my own part in the drama.

By now the vultures appeared to have realised that something unusual was in progress, which threatened danger to them.  At any rate, although by this time they had collected in hundreds from east, west, north, and south, and were wheeling the heavens above in their vast, majestic circles, none of them seemed to care to descend to prey upon the bodies.  I watched, and saw that among their number was that great king bird which had bitten Hans in the face; it was easy to distinguish him, because he was so much larger than the others.  Also, he had some white at the tips of his wings.  I observed that certain of his company drew near to him in the skies, where they hung together in a knot, as though in consultation.

They separated out again, and the king began to descend, deputed probably to spy out the land.  Down he came in ever-narrowing turns, till he reached the appointed spot for the plunge, and, according to the immemorial custom of these birds, hung a while before he pounced with his head to the south and his great, spreading tail towards me.

This was my chance, and, rejoicing in having so large a mark, I got the sight upon him and pulled.  The bullet thudded, some feathers floated from his belly, showing that it had gone home, and I looked to see him fall as the others had done.  But alas! he did not fall.  For a few seconds he rocked to and fro upon his great wings, then commenced to travel upwards in vast circles, which grew gradually more narrow, till he appeared to be flying almost straight into the empyrean.  I stared and stared.  Everybody stared, till that enormous bird became, first a mere blot upon the blue, and at length but a speck.  Then it vanished altogether into regions far beyond the sight of man.