THE LARGER EAST AFRICAN ANTELOPES 



opportunities to see how perfectly gentle a big, strong eland 

 bull is, even if cornered and wounded. 



Once while marching along the Guaso Narok River on 

 the Laikipia Plateau, I was suddenly confronted by a large 

 eland bull, which was accompanied by two or three cows. 

 I had been expecting leopards from fresh tracks, seen 

 only a few minutes before, so that when I saw the bush 

 move some fifty yards in front of me, I had the gun already 

 up to the shoulder. When the big eland bull suddenly 

 emerged, I half involuntarily pulled the trigger, with the 

 result that the stately beast instantly sank down on his 

 knees, while the cows galloped away. Feeling very bad 

 over my mistake, I handed the rifle to the gun bearer, and 

 took the camera to get a snap shot or two before the mag- 

 nificent old bull should expire. As I came around the near- 

 est bush in front of the eland, I faced him not more than 

 eight or ten yards away. Instantly he got up on his legs 

 again. I snapped the camera and was just trying to 

 change the film, when the big bull whirled around and took 

 a few leaps away from me, after which he fell dead. I 

 am perfectly convinced that had he wanted to do so, 

 he could easily have gored me, unarmed as I was, if 

 he had attacked me at the moment I was trying to take 

 his picture. 



The meat of the eland is perfectly delicious, and dur- 

 ing the season when the animal has plenty of fresh grass 

 to feed on, it would favorably compare with the best of 

 beef. The eland is one of the few African antelopes 

 which is blessed with a considerable amount of fat. His 

 mighty leg bones contain a great deal of marrow, which 

 is delicious to eat on toasted bread, or else very useful 



159 



