THE BIG GAME OF AFRICA 



the hunter, have been more easily caught by the hyenas; 

 and also that a great deal of meat is left on the plains from 

 animals killed by sportsmen, who in many instances have 

 only taken off the head and parts of the skin. 



The hideous howl of a pack of hyenas can never be for- 

 gotten, if it has once been listened to in the wilderness. 

 It begins with a low, growling tone, which generally works 

 itself up to a high pitch, sounding not very much unlike 

 the sirens which are used on certain lighthouses. During 

 one of my visits to the Sotik we had been disturbed several 

 nights by the incessant howls of hyenas close to the camp. 

 My Kikuju headman, Mweri, who was very fond of catch- 

 ing all kinds of game alive, set a trap, in which one of 

 these ugly-looking monsters was caught. As I wanted to 

 secure some good photographs of the animal at close quar- 

 ters, I let it stay in the trap until about seven o'clock the 

 next morning. Then we surrounded the beast, and I suc- 

 ceeded in getting several very fine pictures of the hyena, 

 which was a male in splendid condition. This specimen 

 showed not the slightest sign of fight, only trying to 

 frighten away its assailants with the most awful growling 

 and constant snapping with the teeth. Mweri had tied the 

 trap near to the carcass of a lion, which I had killed the 

 day before, and from the howls we understood that the 

 place had been visited by the hyena shortly after sunset. 

 It had probably been caught very quickly, for its howls 

 suddenly ceased, and it remained perfectly mute until we 

 surrounded it the next morning. 



If the sportsman wants to kill a hyena just for the sake 

 of having shot one — for hyena killing can certainly not be 

 classed among real " sport," unless one should come across 



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