little while, and for a long time disquieted me, especially when the
fact of death was brought sharply before me. These reminders were only
too frequent; there was seldom a day on which I did not see something
killed. When the killing was instantaneous, as when a bird was shot
and dropped dead like a stone, I was not disturbed; it was nothing but
a strange, exciting spectacle, but failed to bring the fact of death
home to me. It was chiefly when cattle were slaughtered that the
terror returned in its full force. And no wonder! The native manner of
killing a cow or bullock at that time was peculiarly painful.
Occasionally it would be slaughtered out of sight on the plain, and
the hide and flesh brought in by the men, but, as a rule, the beast
would be driven up close to the house to save trouble. One of the two
or three mounted men engaged in the operation would throw his lasso
over the horns, and, galloping off, pull the rope taut; a second man
would then drop from his horse, and running up to the animal behind,
pluck out his big knife and with two lightning-quick blows sever the
tendons of both hind legs. Instantly the beast would go down on his
haunches, and the same man, knife in hand, would flit round to its
front or side, and, watching his opportunity, presently thrust the
long blade into its throat just above the chest, driving it in to the
hilt and working it round; then when it was withdrawn a great torrent
of blood would pour out from the tortured beast, still standing on his
fore-legs, bellowing all the time with agony. At this point the
slaughterer would often leap lightly on to its back, stick his spurs
in its sides, and, using the flat of his long knife as a whip, pretend
to be riding a race, yelling with fiendish glee. The bellowing would
subside into deep, awful, sob-like sounds and chokings; then the
rider, seeing the animal about to collapse, would fling himself nimbly
off. The beast down, they would all run to it, and throwing themselves
on its quivering side as on a couch, begin making and lighting their