STALKING IN THE NYIKA 



disturbed by us and flies deeper into the reed thicket. 

 Not far from the water two small Thomson gazelles are 

 feeding. The cry of the jabiru warns them; they see us 

 and withdraw to their herd, which we made out in the 

 far distance. They allow us to approach them within 

 four hundred and fifty feet, but then they gallop away. 

 Their flight cautions a small herd of female Grant ga- 

 zelles who, following the lead of a fine buck with long, 

 lyrate horns, go around us in a large circle and eye the 

 strange visitors of the steppe. The wind blows towards 

 them, and there is no use trying to stalk them. 



About three thousand feet distant I notice in the 

 steppe a dark object. It is a bull gnu who has seen or 

 scented us. No doubt he wonders who and what we are ; 

 the movement of his iail betrays his curiosity. We are 

 about to stalk him, when a flock of crowned lapwings 

 warn the gnu by their noisy twitter. The bull runs off 

 in short leaps, looking around from time to time, and 

 stopping finally, satisfied that the danger has passed. I 

 steal slowly and in a roundabout way up to within six 

 hundred feet of the bull and fire, but only wound him on, 

 the hind quarter. For half an hour I follow the bloody 

 tracks when a branch of the swamp blocks my way. We 

 are forced to wade in the paths of hippopotami and 

 water-bucks in mud up to our knees. We see the gnu 

 resting on a drier spot, but the thicket prevents me from 

 firing at him. Again the bull escapes. I know the pur- 

 suit will last long and will take us quite a distance from 



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