THE GUASO NYERO 361 



quite impenetrable, whereas the giraffe moved through 

 them with utter unconcern. But the giraffe's indifference 

 to thorns is commonplace compared to its indifference to 

 water. These particular giraffe were not drinking either 

 at the river or at the one or two streams which were run- 

 ning into it; and in certain places giraffe will subsist for 

 months without drinking at all. How 7 the waste and evap- 

 oration of moisture from their huge bodies is supplied is 

 one of the riddles of biology. 



We could not get a bull giraffe, and it was only a bull 

 that I wanted. I was much interested, however, in coming 

 up to a cow asleep. She stood with her neck drooping 

 slightly forward, occasionally stamping or twitching an 

 ear, like a horse when asleep standing. I saw her legs first, 

 through the bushes, and finally walked directly up to her in 

 the open, until I stood facing her at thirty yards. When 

 she at last suddenly saw me, she came nearer to the execu- 

 tion of a gambol than any other giraffe I have ever seen. 



Another day we went after buffalo. We left camp be- 

 fore sunrise, riding along parallel to the river to find the 

 spoor of a herd which had drunk and was returning to 

 the haunts, away from the river, in which they here habit- 

 ually spent the day. Two or three hours passed before we 

 found what we sought; and we at once began to follow 

 the trail. It was in open thorn-bush, and the animals were 

 evidently feeding. Before we had followed the spoor half 

 an hour we ran across a rhinoceros. As the spoor led above 

 wind, and as we did not wish to leave it for fear of losing it, 

 Cuninghame stayed where he was, and I moved round to 

 within fifty yards of the rhino, and, with my rifle ready, 

 began shouting, trying to keep the just mean as regards 

 noise, so as to scare him, and yet not yell so loudly as to 

 reach the buffalo if they happened to be near by. At last 

 I succeeded, and he trotted sullenly off, tacking and veer- 

 ing, and not going far. On we went, and in another half- 

 hour came on our quarry. I was the first to catch a glimpse 

 of the line of bulky black forms, picked out with white where 



