ZEBRA 63 



a Kafir hunter, far up amongst the mountains, amid some of the 

 wildest scenery of the district. We stood within a couple of hundred 

 yards or so, and had ample opportunity to observe the troop, before 

 the stallion, standing sentinel, discovered us. Eventually our presence 

 was observed, and at a wild neigh from the stallion the zebras galloped 

 away over the mountain-shoulder and were lost to view. On another 

 occasion I saw them descending a steep mountain-side, down which 

 they clattered with the greatest apparent ease. As a rule, they were 

 most suspicious beasts, extremely hard to get near, and even if we 



Fig. 22. — Hind-quarters of the Zebra. 



had wanted to shoot specimens, we should have had desperately hard 

 and tough stalking to bring one to bag. The history of this particular 

 troop was somewhat singular. The animals occasionally wandered 

 over the mountains beyond our boundaries on to adjacent farms, 

 where they were shot at by Dutch farmers ; and their numbers 

 gradually dwindled until only the stallion remained. This finally ran 

 with a troop of donkeys which were allowed to range the hills, and 

 was driven into a kraal and captured. He was extremely savage and, 

 although fastened with ropes to a tree, was always ready with open 

 mouth and bared teeth to attack any one approaching. Full-grown 

 and too old to tame, he steadily refused all food, but would drink 



