THE FATE OF A GERENUK 



In the meantime the headman of the village, 

 a venerable old Somali with white hair and beard, 

 came out with lots of milk, insisted on all my men 

 drinking their fill, and would take nothing in return. 

 I must say that nothing could be more hospitable 

 than the welcome I had so far received from the 

 natives. We then proceeded for a couple of hours 

 through the same pleasant kind of open bush until 

 we reached a little pool, covered with mauve and 

 white water-lilies i^Nymphcea stellata). The water 

 it contained, however, was very nasty, and full of 

 slime, so I did not stop here, but marched on and 

 soon entered a large open plain covered with yellow 

 brown grass and some scattered bush. The heat 

 was now growing intense, yet presently I saw a 

 gerenuk buck feeding right out in the open, and 

 as he carried nice horns I decided to shoot him. 

 Taking advantage of every little piece of cover that 

 offered, and keeping in the shadows wherever 

 possible, I managed to get within loo yards of 

 him, while he was yet unaware of my presence ; 

 then, taking careful aim, I fired and heard the bullet 

 clap loudly. The gerenuk made a wild dash past 

 me and into the bush beyond. Here I lost him, 

 although I spent fully an hour searching, and at last 

 I gave him up, although I knew he must be lying 

 dead quite close. I was much disappointed, but as 

 there was nothing else to be done, I marched on for 

 a little way till I reached a dried-up swamp. 



Here the guides recommended me to camp, as 

 they thought there would be game near by ; so I 

 chose a big tree under which my tent was pitched, 

 and gave orders to my headman to give out water 

 to the men and then send back two camels with the 



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