ZEBRAS 21 



bounding away — bouncing is almost the word — as 

 though they were made of springs. A few lumber- 

 ing hartebeeste, hideous red brutes with all the ugly 

 features of the cow and of the donkey combined, are 

 seen here and there ; they trot off until they are just 

 out of range, then turn round and treat one to an 

 inane stare. 



One morning I came suddenly over a low hill 

 right into the midst of a herd of zebras. Off they 

 went, fifty or more of them, as fast as they could 

 gallop, straight towards a newly strung wire-fence ; 

 either they did not see it or they were too much 

 frightened to turn aside, but not one of them swerved ; 

 they all dashed through the fence, as though the 

 wires were cobwebs, and so far as I could see not 

 one was damaged in the least. Zebras may be seen 

 from the railway literally in thousands on the Athi 

 Plains, and again in the rolling grass country between 

 Naivasha and Nakuru. At the Government farm 

 a few miles from Naivasha experiments have been 

 made in crossing zebras, but hitherto no very satis- 

 factory hybrid has been produced. The pure-bred 

 animal is difficult to tame and of very little use as 

 a beast of burden ; but a strong hybrid, capable of 

 resisting the many diseases of the country, would 

 solve the horse problem of East Africa, and would 

 go far towards ensuring the prosperity of the colony. 



Towards the south-east corner of the lake is an 

 island, where I camped for a short time. The voyage 

 of a mile or more from the mainland was made in 



