THE LARGER EAST AFRICAN ANTELOPES 



the gun and went up with my camera to take a good pho- 

 tograph of the apparently dead gnu's head at only three 

 yards' distance. Just as I had done this and was changing 

 my film, I asked the men to turn the wildebeest over on 

 the other side, which they at once proceeded to do. Some 

 of the men got hold of the legs, others of the head and 

 horns, and thus turned the antelope over. 



Imagine our surprise when, just as he had been turned 

 over, the gnu suddenly got up and ran away! The men 

 and I were so amazed that we did not know what to do 

 for a while, the old bull galloping off as fast as he could 

 over the plains! As my gun was several yards away, 

 the gnu succeeded in getting two or three hundred yards' 

 start before I could shoot. The third shot broke the ani- 

 mal's back and he went down never more to move again. 

 When we came up to the gnu we found that the first 

 bullet had barely grazed his spine and so only stunned the 

 animal for a moment. Had it been a rhino or a lion it 

 might easily have been able to kill me before I could have 

 gotten hold of the gun. Mr. Selous told me of having 

 had several similar things happen to him, some of which 

 I have related in previous chapters, and he argues from his 

 great experience as a big-game hunter that it is the safest 

 thing to put an extra bullet into any animal's head at a 

 few yards' distance, even if the beast is apparently dead. 



A great many " stories " have been told of gnus having 

 attacked hunters, but I myself am unable to believe this 

 antelope capable of any such ferocity. I have had oppor- 

 tunity to go up to several wounded gnus which, if they had 

 been bent on mischief, certainly would have had the chance 

 of charging, but they never showed the slightest intention 



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