A Thousand Miles in a Machilla 



away from the dambos by parties of travelling 

 natives or by other caravans, as the tracks we 

 passed along were by no means largely frequented. 

 Antelope, if unmolested, will merely lift their heads 

 and stare at the natives along a road as they 

 pass by. 



Eland appear to live by preference in the 

 immediate vicinity of a village, and remain there 

 so long as the village gardens offer them anything 

 to feed on. In this respect they are not the least 

 shy, and the natives know perfectly where to find 

 them ; it is only when the crops are harvested and 

 the surface water dry that they leave these com- 

 fortable quarters and roam the forests in search of 

 food. When they become a nuisance to the vill- 

 agers, as is sometimes the case, the discontented 

 chief sends in to the boma to complain, doubtless 

 overstating numbers as well as the damage that has 

 been done, and these reports may very possibly 

 give rise to somewhat exaggerated estimates as to 

 quantity. 



It is difficult to tell from spoor alone how many 

 beasts there are in a herd, but the herd we actually 

 got up to contained not more than twenty-five 

 animals. On the whole, it is doubtful whether the 

 numbers in these herds can compare with the large 

 herds that are met with in East Africa. 



The natives in this part of the world were very 

 reticent about giving information as to eland. I 

 cannot help thinking that they rather like their 

 presence, notwithstanding the damage they do 

 them, possibly because their near neighbourhood 



260 



