122 HIPPO AND LEOPARD [ch. v 



When they sit on their haunches their attitude is that 

 neither of a dog nor of a eat so much as of a big 

 monkey. On the whole, they are much more easily 

 domesticated than most other cats, but, as with all 

 highly developed wild creatures, they show great indi- 

 vidual variability of character and disposition. They 

 have a \^ery curious note, a bird-like chirp, in uttering 

 which they twist the upper lip as if whistling. When 

 I first heard it I was sure that it was uttered by some 

 bird, and looked about quite a time before finding that 

 it was the call of a cheetah. 



Then there was a tame wart-hog, very friendly 

 indeed, which usually wandered loose, and was as 

 comical as pigs generally are, with its sudden starts and 

 grunts. Finally, there was a young tommy buck and 

 a Grant's gazelle doe, both of which were on good terms 

 with everyone and needed astonishingly little looking 

 after to prevent their straying. When I was returning 

 to the house on the morning I killed the rhinoceros, 1 

 met the string of porters and the ox- waggon just after 

 they had left the gate on their way to the carcass. The 

 Grant doe had been attracted by the departure, and 

 was following immediately behind the last porter. A 

 wild-looking Masai warrior, to whom, as I learned, the 

 especial care of the gazelle had been entrusted for that 

 day, was running as hard as he could after her from the 

 gate ; when he overtook her he ran in between her and 

 the rearmost porter, and headed her for the farm gate, 

 uttering what sounded like wild war-cries, and brandish- 

 ing his spear. They formed a really absurd couple, the 

 little doe slowly and decorously walking back to the 

 farm, quite unmoved by the clamour and threats, while 

 her guardian, the very image of what a savage warrior 

 should look when on the war-path, walked close behind. 



