126 AFRICAN NATURE NOTES CHAP. 



One day during September 1885, when hunting 

 in company with Cornells van Rooyen near the 

 Umfuli river, in Mashunaland, I rode out of a belt 

 of forest-covered country into a broad open valley, 

 from half a mile to a thousand yards in breadth, and 

 bounded on the farther side again with a tract of 

 open forest. Down the centre of this open valley 

 ran a small watercourse, which was, however, no 

 longer running, though several deep pools were still 

 full of water. 



My friend and I had only ridden out a short 

 distance into the open when three chetahs, a big 

 male and two smaller animals which were no doubt 

 females, emerged from the creek, and after trotting 

 a short distance away from us across the open 

 ground, turned round and stood looking at us. 



Van Rooyen and I at once rode towards them. 

 They let us come close to the creek before running 

 off, but when they did so, they broke into a light 

 springing gallop and got over the ground at a great 

 pace. The long summer grass had all been burnt 

 off in this district, and the ground in the open valley, 

 being firm and hard and quite free from holes, was 

 in excellent condition for galloping. 



When we commenced to race after the chetahs 

 they had a start of at least fifty yards I think 

 considerably more and the edge of the forest for 

 which they were making could not have been more 

 than five hundred yards distant. 



Both our horses were pretty fast and in <_rood 

 hard condition, and we raced neck and neck as 

 hard as we could go behind the chetahs. Whether 

 these latter were running at their utmost speed I 

 cannot say, but, at any rate, we slowly but steadily 

 gained on them, and were only a few yards behind 

 them when they reached the ed^e of the forest, 

 which was very open and free from underbush. 

 Suddenly the two female chetahs, which were a little 



