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A Vanishing Feature of the Velt 



Or it may happen that you will sight giraffes about 

 noontide sheltering under the fragrant acacia trees. I 

 remember one occasion especially, in the neighbourhood 

 of the Gelei volcanic hills, I had hardly penetrated 

 for more than about a hundred and twenty paces into 

 an acacia wood, when I suddenly saw the legs of several 

 gigantic giraffes — their heads were hidden in the crowns 

 of mimosa. The wind was favourable. I might within a 

 few minutes find myself in the middle of the herd ! But, 

 a moment later, I felt the ground tremble and the huge 

 beasts with their hard hoofs were thumping over the 

 sun-baked ground. They crashed through the branches 

 and fled to the next shelter of mimosa trees. Although 

 I might easily have killed some of them, it was absolutely 

 impossible to take a photograph. But I was at times more 

 fortunate in snapshotting single specimens. Carefully 

 and cautiously, I would creep forward, of course alone, 

 leaving my people behind, until I came within about twenty 

 paces of the giraffe. By dodging about the trees or shrubs 

 near which it stood I have sometimes managed to obtain 

 good pictures of the animal making off in its queer way. 

 The utmost caution was necessary. I had to consider 

 not only the place where the animal was but the position 

 of the sun, and that most carefully. The possibility of 

 photographing giraffes with the telephoto lens is very 

 slight indeed. One's opportunities are turned to best 

 account by the skilful use of an ordinary hand-camera. 



In this way, also, I managed to get pictures of the 

 peculiar motion of giraffes in full flight. My negatives 

 are a proof of the comparative ease with which native 



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