134 AFRICAN NATURE NOTES CHAP. 



First, a few hundred yards higher up the valley 

 than where we were working, a herd of nine giraffes 

 stalked slowly and majestically from the forest, and, 

 making their way to a pool of water, commenced 

 to drink. These giraffes remained in the open 

 valley until dark, one or other of them from time 

 to time straddling out its forelegs in a most extra- 

 ordinary manner in order to get its mouth down 

 to the water. No other animals came to drink in 

 the pools between us and the giraffes. Possibly 

 some got our wind before leaving the shelter of the 

 forest, though the evening was very still. But 

 below us, as far as one could see down the valley, 

 the open ground was presently alive with game. 

 One after another, great herds of buffaloes emerged 

 from the forest on either side of the valley and fed 

 slowly down to the water. One of these herds was 

 preceded by about fifty zebras, and another by a 

 large herd of sable antelopes. Presently two other 

 herds of sable antelopes appeared upon the scene, 

 a second herd of zebras, and five magnificently 

 horned old koodoo bulls, whilst rhinoceroses both 

 of the black and white species (the latter pre- 

 dominating in numbers) were scattered amongst 

 the other game, singly or in twos and threes all 

 down the valley. Of course all this great concourse 

 of wild animals had been collected together in the 

 neighbourhood of the valley of Dett owing to the 

 drying up of all the vleys in the surrounding 

 country, and during the rainy season would have 

 been scattered over a wide area. 



It is sad to think that of all those buffaloes and 

 rhinoceroses I saw in the valley of Dett on that 

 October evening, less than five and thirty years ago, 

 not one single one nor any of their descendants are 

 left alive to-day. They were all killed off years 

 ago, almost all by the natives of Matabeleland 

 after these people became possessed of firearms, 



