Page:Mongolia, the Tangut country, and the solitudes of northern Tibet vol 2 (1876).djvu/220

198 It had now become dusk, and we could not see to aim. We fired a volley at one hundred yards; in a moment he was on his feet and charging us. We now continued to pepper him from all three rifles, but none the less did he still come on. A second volley, and he flourished his tail in the air and was off; not far, however, for after running 100 paces he stopped. It was now so dark that I determined to waste no more ammunition, feeling confident that he would succumb from his wounds during the night. The following morning, true enough, there he lay quite dead. We counted thirteen bullets in his body and three in his head, one having fractured the skull, which was covered with an integument half an inch thick. On another occasion I was clambering over the mountains when I suddenly caught sight of three yaks lying down; they had not observed me as I was concealed by a rock. I immediately took deliberate aim and fired. All three jumped up and seemed at a loss to know what was the matter; my second bullet killed the one I had first fired at outright. His two companions remained beside him, as usual swishing their tails. My third shot was equally successful in breaking the leg of a second, compelling him to remain stationary. I now directed my fire at the last of the trio, but he was not to be despatched so easily. After the first shot he charged, but after advancing only ten paces in my direction, began to waver. A second bullet caused him to renew the charge, and at last, when forty paces off, I killed him with my