"hunting" r^A^a^ " shooting." 69 



obtain. The latter can often be approached to within 150yds., but their little bodies 

 at that range are no very easy shot. The Grant's, as a rule, keep farther away, 

 perhaps aware that their horns form one of the best trophies of the plains. 



A step higher in the scale of shooting (than the above-referred to kongoni 

 method) is that of watching game over a slight rise, and then hurrying after them. For 

 this it is also necessary to keep the wind right. Dips, too, and little hollow valleys 

 should be searched for game, while keeping just on the top of the rise and carefully out 

 of sight. However, the plain-dwellers are generally wary enough to keep a good 

 stretch of open country between themselves and the nearest dead ground. When the 

 grass is at its longest it just affords enough protection to conceal anyone crawling flat 

 on his stomach. In this way game may be approached closer, but the start has to be 

 made out of their sight, so on the flat plains this generally entails a very long and 

 dusty crawl. Sometimes stream beds afford sufficient cover to keep one out of sight. 

 When this is so it is often possible to locate a herd grazing close to the stream and 

 approach them, this means the wind of course being kept right. Reed beds in 

 valleys may be driven for lion, the guns posting themselves outside as if for a 

 pheasant drive. In this a little knowledge of spoor is useful, as it is satisfactory to 

 know before such a proceeding if there is anything inside, and this may be told by 

 searching the ground all round. If the reeds are sufficiently dry they may be burnt, 

 when a little knowledge of the habits of lion helps one to judge where the animal is 

 likely to break, and hence to know the right spot to post oneself. 



Lion-shooting, however, belongs more to the craft of the hunter, though the 

 majority of these beast are found on the plains. For it is practically only at night that 

 the animal stalks in the open. In the daytime, as great a knowledge of his habits 

 and haunts is generally required to bring him to bag, as is necessary for success with 

 the wily denizens of the bush. It is only by studying his ways and looking for his 

 tracks that any great measure of success can be met with, if hunting him on foot. 



Another method of obtaining animals on the plains is by waiting at water-holes 

 or concealing oneself behind tufts of grass. To do this a little study of the animal's 

 ways helps one to select the right places. This is the most interesting of all 

 occupations on the plains. An inspection of the spoor about water-holes will tell you 

 exactly what animals are about and also much of their habits. Taking up a concealed 

 position near some favourite haunt with a pair of good field-glasses, it is then that the 

 charms of the plains are realised. Moreover, on the plains there is always much to 

 see even if only on the march. But this comes into the province of the outdoor 

 naturalist rather than that of the mere shooter, although it is true that when he 

 wearies of being the latter he may become the former. 



