THE LAND OF FOOTPRINTS 



of a grazing herd are always perched as sentinels 

 atop ant hills or similar small elevations. On the 

 slightest intimation of danger they give the alarm, 

 whereupon the herd makes off at once, gathering in 

 all other miscellaneous game that may be in the 

 vicinity. They will go out of their way to do this, 

 as every African hunter knows. It immensely com- 

 plicates matters; for the sportsman must not only 

 stalk his quarry, but he must stalk each and every 

 kongoni as well. Once, in another part of the coun- 

 try, C. and I saw a kongoni leave a band of its own 

 species far down to our right, gallop toward us and 

 across our front, pick up a herd of zebra we were 

 trying to approach and make off with them to safety. 

 We cursed that kongoni, but we admired him, for 

 he deliberately ran out of safety into danger for the 

 purpose of warning those zebra. So seriously do 

 they take their job as policemen of the plains that 

 it is very common for a lazy single animal of another 

 species to graze in a herd of kongonis simply for the 

 sake of protection. Wildebeeste are much given to 

 this. 



The kongoni progresses by a series of long high 

 bounds. While in midair he half tucks up his feet, 

 which gives him the appearance of an automatic 

 toy. This gait looks deliberate, but is really quite 

 f^st; as the mounted sportsman ciisgoyers when h^ 



394. 



