58 IN THE GRIP OF THE NYIKA ch. v 



The swift death which is, as a rule, meted out by 

 the sportsman inflicts, after all, but little pain com- 

 pared with the suffering which the poor weak 

 creatures of the wilds have often to endure when 

 they fall into the pitiless clutches of a voracious 

 beast of prey. As an example of this, I may per- 

 haps mention an instance which a friend of mine, 

 Mr. C. Rawson, actually witnessed. He was out 

 shooting one day on the Athi Plains when he 

 wounded a Grant's gazelle. The animal managed 

 to get away from him, so he quickly followed it up 

 to finish it off Meanwhile a lean and hungry- 

 looking hyaena sprang out of the grass and joined in 

 the chase, eventually catching up with the gazelle 

 and pulling it down. The hyaena did not waste 

 any time in attempting to kill the gazelle, but, 

 putting a strong paw on its quarters to hold it 

 down, proceeded to tear great pieces of flesh from 

 the unfortunate creature's flank. Rawson arrived at 

 this moment and fired at the hyaena, which he hit 

 far back in the spine, totally disabling the brute's 

 hind-quarters. In spite of this the ravenous beast 

 continued to eat the flesh of the still living gazelle, 

 nor did he stop for a moment until a second shot 

 killed him outright. 



Mr. Rawson took a photograph of the pair 

 exactly as they lay, which he has kindly given me 

 permission to reproduce (see p. 57). 



