IN SEARCH OF GAME 



goods at the next village for sheep, in order to give 

 my men some better food. I saw nothing for a 

 while until I emerged into a small open plain 

 covered with coarse yellow grass ; a small herd of 

 waterbuck were feeding on the far side, and I deter- 

 mined to approach them through the bush : the wind 

 was favourable, and I was able to get to within 150 

 yards without alarming them. There were seven 

 in all, one buck and six does, two of which were 

 white. It was another bitter disappointment, but I 

 refrained from shooting either of the white does, 

 and aimed instead at the buck. My first shot was 

 a disgraceful one, passing just over his shoulder ; the 

 whole herd sprang round in alarm, first running a little 

 way forward and then back again, quite at a loss to 

 know in what direction safety lay, for they could not 

 make me out lying quietly under a bush. I soon 

 had another opportunity, of which I took better 

 advantage, and brought the buck down with shoulders 

 broken. 



Waterbuck are indeed handsome animals, and, 

 common though they are, each time I see one I am 

 struck afresh by their beauty of form and colouring. 

 This one proved very big and heavy in bodily size, 

 but his horns were not particularly good, being just 

 under 27 inches. In a herd bull it is rare to find 

 them much longer than this ; in fact, in British East 

 Africa the record is 31^ inches, which compares very 

 unfavourably with such gigantic horns as those obtained 

 by Mr. F. A. Knowles in Uganda, whose length 

 exceed a yard by nearly 2 inches. Although 

 waterbuck feed almost entirely on grass, their flesh 

 has the reputation of being about the worst of all 

 antelopes, and it is most unpleasant to eat, as I havi 



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