THE BIG GAME OF AFRICA 



by " His Majesty." The stomach of this Hon gave evi- 

 dence of the fact that for its last meal it had had zebra 

 meat, for we found in it a good many pieces of striped 

 skin. 



I have often seen zebras drink in broad daylight, com- 

 ing down to the river, as if they felt sure that there was no 

 lion around. Once I was having my lunch under some 

 mimosa trees near a little water course on the plains, when 

 I saw a whole herd of zebras of some seventy to eighty 

 animals slowly coming down to drink, headed for the very 

 same place where I was sitting. Making the camera ready 

 for a snapshot, although the light was rather unfavorable, 

 I waited for the animals to come nearer. Suddenly one 

 of my stupid and careless porters stood up above the grass, 

 where they all had been told to lie still, and thus scared 

 the herd away before I was able to kodak it. If fright- 

 ened, the zebra is able to bound ofT at great speed, and it 

 takes a very good horse to catch up with, or overtake, a 

 zebra, if on level ground ; but if in stony and hilly country, 

 the best horse in the world would have no chance at all 

 to outdistance these sure-footed and swift animals, the 

 deep-hollowed hoofs of which seem to be exceedingly hard 

 and tough. 



If suddenly frightened, a herd of zebras will dash away 

 in the maddest flight, apparently without looking ahead 

 in the least. Twice during one week, when encamped 

 near the beautiful Lake Elmenteita, I had opportunities 

 to observe this. 



One afternoon, in fact just after we had arrived and 

 begun to erect our camp on the eastern shores of this lake, 

 I was told by some of the men that a small herd of zebras 



206 



