THE FRINGE-EARED ORYX. 227 



Suddenly we saw a medium- sized squat beast 

 that none of us recognized, trundling along like 

 a badger sixty yards ahead. Any creature not 

 easily identified is a scientific possibility in Africa. 

 Therefore we fired at once. One of the bullets 

 hit his foreleg paw. Immediately this astonish- 

 ing small creature turned and charged us ! If 

 his size had equalled his ferocity, he would have 

 been a formidable opponent. We had a lively 

 few minutes. He rushed us again and again, 

 uttering ferocious growls. We had to step high 

 and lively to keep out of his way. Between 

 charges he sat down and tore savagely at his 

 wounded paw. We wanted him as nearly per- 

 fect a specimen as possible, so tried to rap him 

 over the head with a club. Owing to remarkably 

 long teeth and claws, this was soon proved im- 

 practicable ; so we shot him. He weighed about 

 fifty pounds, and we subsequently learned that 

 he was a honey badger, an animal very rarely 

 captured. 



We left the boys to take the whole skin and 

 skull of this beast, and strolled forward slowly. 

 The brush ended abruptly in a wide valley. It had 

 been burnt over, and the new grass was coming 

 up green. We gave one look, and sank back 

 into cover. 



