CH. vnij SPEED OF THE CHEETAH 177 



separately. Once, however, Kermit went with Tarlton, 

 and was, as usual, lucky with cheetahs, killing two. 

 Tarlton was an accomplished elephant, hiiffalo, and 

 rhino hunter, but he ])ref erred the chase of the lion to 

 all other kinds of sport ; and if lions were not to be 

 found, he liked to follow anything else after which he 

 could gallop on horseback. Kermit was also a good 

 and hard rider. On this occasion they found a herd of 

 eland, and galloped into it. The big bull they over- 

 hauled at once, but saw that his horns were poor and 

 left him. Then they followed a fine cow, with an 

 unusually good head. She started at a rattling pace, 

 t and once leaped clear over another cow that got in her 



• way ; but they rode into her alter a mile's smart gallop 

 j — not a racing gallop by any means — and after that she 

 I was as manageable as a tame ox. Cantering and trotting 



• within thirty yards of her on either (quarter, they drove 

 j her toward camp ; but when it was still three-quarters 

 I of a mile distant they put up a cheetah, and tore after 

 'i it ; and they overtook and killed it just before it reached 

 ^ cover. A cheetali with a good start can only be over- 

 taken by hard running. This one behaved just as did 

 the others they ran down. For a quarter of a mile no 

 animal in the world has a cheetah's speed ; but he 

 cannot last. W^hen chased the cheetahs did not sprint, 

 but contented themselves with gallophig ahead of the 

 horses. At first they could easily keep their distance, 

 but after a mile or two their strength and wind gave 

 out, and then they always crouched flat to the earth, 

 and were shot without their making any attempt to 

 charge. But a wart-hog boar which Kermit ran down 

 [the same day and shot with his revolver did charge, and 

 wickedly. 



^^^hile running one of his cheetahs, Kermit put up 



12 





