It made for the side where Frank and John Block were standing, each with knife in hand.
The beast sprang, but took off badly, fell back, bowled the boatswain over, and struggled to rise.
Then up came Fritz, and throwing himself upon the animal, succeeded in driving his knife into its flank. But this one blow would not have been sufficient if Captain Gould had not succeeded in cutting its throat.
The animal lay motionless among the branches, and the boatswain got up nimbly.
“Confounded brute!” exclaimed John Block, who had escaped with a few bruises. “I’ve shipped more than one heavy sea in my time, but never been bowled over like that!”
“I hope you are not much hurt, Block?” Captain Gould asked.
“No: only scratched, and that don’t matter, captain. What annoys me is to have been turned upside down like that.”
“Well, to make up for it we will keep the best bit for you,” Jenny answered.
“No, Mrs. Fritz, no! no! I would rather have the bit that pitched me on to the ground. That was its head. I want that animal’s head!”
They set to work to cut up the antelope and take out the edible parts. Since they were now assured of food to last them until the evening of the following day, there would be no need for them to trouble further about it before they got to the defile of Cluse.