328 TO THE UASIN GISHU [ch. xii 



larger. Where the grass was long they would lie close, 

 with neck flat along the ground, and dart off when 

 nearly stepped on, with a pig-like rush like that of a 

 reedbuck or duiker in similar thick cover. But where 

 the grass was short, and especially where it was burned, 

 they did not trust to lying down and hiding ; on the 

 contrary, in such places they were conspicuous little 

 creatures, and trusted to their speed and alert vigilance 

 for their safety. Tliey run very fast, with great bounds, 

 and when they stand — usually at a hundred and fifty or 

 two hundred yards — they face the Inniter, the forward- 

 thrown ears being the most noticeable thing about 

 them. We found that each oribi bagged cost us an 

 unpleasantly large number of cartridges. 



(3ne day we foinid the spot where a large party of 

 hyenas had establislied their day lairs in the wet seclusion 

 of some reed beds. We beat through these reed beds, 

 and, in the words once used by an old plains friend in 

 describing the behaviour of a family of black bears 

 under similar circumstances, the hyenas " came bilin 

 out." As they bolted Kermit shot one and I another ; 

 his bit savagely at a stick with which one of the gun- 

 bearers poked it. It is difficult at first glance to tell 

 the sex of a hyena, and our followers stoutly upheld 

 the widespread African belief that they are bisexual, 

 being male or female as they choose. A wounded or 

 trapped hyena will of course bite if seized, but shows 

 no sign of the ferocious courage which marks the leopard 

 under such circumstances ; for the hyena is as cowardly 

 as it is savage, although its size and the tremendous 

 power of its jaws ought to make it as formidable as the 

 fierce spotted cat. 



The day after this incident we came on a herd of 

 giraffe. It was Kermit 's turn for a giraffe ; and just as 



