In \Yildest Africa -+> 



herd. The antelopes had scattered themselves over part 

 of the clearing, feeding on the fresh growing grass there, 

 but all the while keeping themselves somewhat apart 

 from the herd of gazelles. But they had gradually drawn 

 near to a party of waterbuck which were standing under 

 an old shady tree, and now I had an opportunity of 

 watching for a long time these three varieties of antelope, 

 all so beautiful, yet so different. To my surprise, after 

 some time they were joined by nine stately eland-antelopes, 

 whose white side-stripes made them wonderfully prominent 

 among the uniformly coloured coats of the waterbuck. 

 Amongst these animals some three hundred baboons were 

 moving about with a certain careless self-possession. 

 They were all big ones, keenly devoted to the hunt for 

 insects, pulling up grass and turning over stones. Some 

 of the older individuals meanwhile scrambled up tree 

 trunks for a few feet, and thence kept a careful look-out 

 for the approach of any possible enemy. 



I kept as still as a mouse, knowing well that the 

 slightest movement would betray my presence; to the 

 timid, keen-sighted monkeys. 



Now a numerous herd of zebras moved through the 

 wood and across the clearing at a slow, careless pace. 

 As they moved there was a bright shimmering of the 

 variegated stripes of the beautiful " tiger-horses," and 

 again they would often be blurred into one uniform grey. 

 They mingled with the waterbuck, which took very little 

 notice of them, and evidently had known the zebras for 

 a long time. It was wonderful to see the proud water- 

 buck, with their horns, which are at once weapon and 



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