160 AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 



They were splendid animals, like beautiful heavy cattle; 

 and I could not sufficiently admire their sleek, handsome, 

 striped coats, their shapely heads, fine horns, and massive 

 bodies. The big bull, an old one, looked blue at a distance; 

 he was very heavy and his dewlap hung down just as with 

 cattle. His companion, although much less heavy, was a 

 full-grown bull in his prime, with longer horns; for the 

 big one's horns had begun to wear down at the tips. In 

 their stomachs were grass blades and, rather to my surprise, 

 aloe leaves. 



We had two canvas cloths with us, which Heller had in- 

 structed me to put over anything I shot, in order to pro- 

 tect it from the sun; so, covering both bulls, I left a porter 

 with them, and sent in another to notify Heller who came 

 out with an ox wagon to bring in the skins and meat. I 

 had killed these two eland bulls, as well as the buck ga- 

 zelle (bringing down each with a single bullet) within three- 

 quarters of an hour after leaving camp. 



I wanted a topi, and continued the hunt. The coun- 

 try swarmed with the herds and flocks of the Masai, who 

 own a wealth of live stock. Each herd of cattle and don- 

 keys or flock of sheep was guarded by its herdsmen; bands 

 of stalwart, picturesque warriors, with their huge spears 

 and ox-hide shields, occasionally strolled by us; and we 

 passed many bomas, the kraals where the stock is gathered 

 at night, with the mud huts of the owners ringing them. Yet 

 there was much game in the country also, chiefly zebra and 

 hartebeest; the latter, according to their custom, contin- 

 ually jumping up on ant-hills to get a clearer view of me, 

 and sometimes standing on them motionless for a consider- 

 able time, as sentries to scan the country around, 



