THE GIRAFFE AND OKAPI 101 



it can, and does, chop out dangerously with its 

 fore feet, and a wounded animal, although standing 

 apparently helpless, is not therefore to be too closely 

 approached. In comparatively open country, such 

 a chase as I have attempted to describe may last 

 from two to five miles, but nowadays, at all events, 

 giraffe are much more chary of crossing open plains 

 than they used to be fifty or sixty years ago. Only 

 once have I had the good fortune to force part of 

 a troop into fairly open ground. It was a thrilling 

 experience, the subsequent run up was a magnificent 

 one, and the whole incident is indelibly imprinted 

 upon my memory. 



Possessing, as it does, a tough hide, often as much 

 as an inch in thickness, the giraffe fears none of those 

 frightful thorns which render a gallop through 

 African bush such a terror to the pursuing sports- 

 man. These animals usually, therefore, if anywhere 

 near such thickets, make in that direction, bursting 

 through the densest and thorniest masses with perfect 

 ease, but leaving for the hunter in their rear a 

 sufficiently trying task. In the excitement of the 

 chase the sportsman usually forgets these terrors, but 

 he will probably find himself, having run up and 

 brought down his game, sadly torn and ripped, his 

 breeches and coat irretrievably damaged. A stout 

 cord coat is absolutely necessary when hunting these 

 animals in thick bush. One of the prettiest phases 

 of giraffe hunting is when the chase leads through 

 thin forest country, usually of giraffe acacia or the 

 bifid-leaved mopani. Then the giant game can be 



