356 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. 
to limp away; but I had broken its shoulder, and it could 
scarcely move. Dodson and I and a few boys started 
on a run toward the wounded animal, and then, as we 
approached the spot where I had shot at her, we began to 
walk cautiously, until we spied both giraffes standing quietly 
not forty yards away. I fired at the wounded female; but 
she started to limp off, followed by her faithful mate. 
My boy Yusif ran hard to head the animals off in one 
direction, while I rushed another way to intercept them. 
The second giraffe, now catching sight of Yusif, bounded 
directly toward me, passing me at about twenty paces, so 
that I could easily place my bullet. One shot in the heart 
was sufficient to bring him to the ground. I was now 
near the wounded female, and sent several bullets into her 
from behind as she was struggling away. Finally she 
stopped, so that I got a good shot at her neck and killed 
her instantly. 
I do not give myself any credit for having made a “ bull’s- 
eye’ at a thousand yards with an express rifle, except that 
I made a good line shot. It was from pure chance that I 
broke the giraffe’s shoulder, but it was a most fortunate 
thing for all of us. Not a scrap of either of the two ani- 
mals was wasted. There were some Wandorobbo living 
about the tugs, who were only too glad to get the little 
meat and hide which my boys left. The giraffes belonged 
to the rare species (Camelopardals ethiopicus) which we 
had seen ever since we left the Shebeli River. 
My boys were very fond of giraffe meat, as they said the 
animals were brothers to camels, because their milk was 
salty, their flesh sweet and fat, and they had no upper 
incisor teeth. Giraffe meat is much better, in my opinion, 
than the insipid flesh of camels. 
For three long marches we plodded along through a 
monotonous dry, flat, bushy country, covered with a red 
