CREATURES OF THE WILDERNESS 193 



very different personality from the sluggish, 

 fearless animals in the paddock at the Zoo. 

 It travels far and wide in search of mimosa 

 leaves, its favourite food, reaching as far as 

 it can and stripping the branches with its long 

 tongue, so that trees pollarded in this fashion 

 to a kind of high-water mark are a common 

 feature of giraffe country. The giraffe is 

 fragile in appearance and timid by nature, yet, 

 when suddenly attacked by a lion, it some- 

 times manages to kick with such terrific force, 

 with hind or fore feet, as to break the lion's jaw. 

 More often, no doubt, the lion that manages 

 to get close enough for a spring must kill and 

 eat his prey, but such retribution has been 

 known to fall on the tyrant more than once. 



When fighting among themselves, half in 

 play, or at any rate without intent to do any 

 very serious damage, giraffes often butt with 

 their heads and fence with their false horns, 

 which are occasionally damaged in the fray. 

 The giraffe's most effective weapon is the fore- 

 leg, with which it chops downwards. John 

 Stromboom, a well-known trader round Lake 

 Ngami many years ago, was, Mr. Bryden tells 

 me, nearly killed by a wounded giraffe in this 

 way. He had ridden up to it when it sud- 

 denly reared on end and struck at him with 

 both forelegs, missing by only a matter of 

 inches. Had the blows got home, both he 



