With Flashlight and Rifle 



approaching danger. The bull gnu lingers on, however, 

 curious still, rather than nervous. \Ye approach ever 

 closer, but apparently heading off to the right ot him ; 

 and I give orders that none ot my people glance in his 

 direction. But the plovers will not leave us ; by degrees 

 the gnu takes warning, and moves off, with head stiffly 

 bent, in leaps which look short, but which carry it over 

 the ground at a good rate. From time to time it halts, 

 and turns round with a sudden, violent movement, lashing- 

 its tail furiously and peering in our direction. 



The tiresome plovers have lett us at last, and slowly 

 I make another attempt to get up to the bull, this time 

 in a lateral direction. I succeed at last in this, and 

 am able to get a shot at the great beast sharply defined 

 against the clear desert background two hundred yards 

 away. The gnu shivers through all his body, and turns 

 straight towards me, but then rushes off on three legs. 

 My bullet has hit too far back. Instantly I follow up 

 its track among the acacia-bushes. 



In this part of Africa, where neither horse nor dog 

 can stand the unhealthy climate, there is only one way 

 of reaching your game, when you have only wounded. 

 You must follow it at once, as you do when shooting 

 elk. For with even the shortest delay, the heat of the sun 

 dries up the blood-tracks unrecognisably ; other animals 

 cross the dry trail, and vultures and jackals will have 

 torn to pieces the decaying carcase before the hunter 

 can be on the spot. 



So I follow the blood-tracks for half an hour. By 

 using the tracks of hippopotamuses and waterbuck, the gnu 



570 



