BRITISH EAST AFRICA 179 



sing-sing water-buck, like the commoner Ellipsi- 

 prymnus is a very handsome animal, in colour not 

 unlike red deer in winter, though more clumsily built 

 and much heavier about the neck and quarters. 

 Their legs are a great deal darker than the rest 

 of the body, being indeed almost black. The pro- 

 file of the does is distinctly Semitic. On being 

 alarmed they give a kind of snoofey sneeze. When 

 uncertain wherein the danger lies they make a series 

 of short springs, all their feet in a bunch coming to 

 the ground at the same instant. They then move 

 off to a little distance, but if the stalker keeps 

 perfectly motionless will occasionally come back to 

 satisfy their curiosity, or keep hanging about in 

 an uneasy state of nerves until the lurking peril 

 discloses itself. 



A doe once walked up to within forty yards of me, 

 when I was sitting right in the open in full view, but 

 absolutely still. On my making a slight movement 

 she at once crashed off into the surrounding bushes. 



o 



Burton and I were both very keen to slay some- 

 thing, so we decided to stay in this camp for a day 

 or two. 



The next morning I was off at daybreak, and 

 after a good deal of walking managed to shoot a 

 Jackson's hartebeest. These ugly brutes are pos- 

 sessed of tremendous vitality, and unless hit in exactly 

 the right spot will go for miles. In this particular 

 instance he dropped at once as I had struck him in 

 the neck, but on another occasion I bungled things 



