24 ON SAFARI 



are irou-grey in colour, the sing-sing perhaps sHghtly 

 browner than Cohtis ellipsijDrymnus ; but the colour 

 shown in the plate of C. defassa in the Booh of 

 Antelopes (vol. ii, plate xxxvi) is wrong, unless the 

 seasonal range of colour is very great. A w^hite band 

 surrounds each fetlock immediately above the hoof, and 

 is conspicuous at a considerable distance. The dead- 

 weight of this animal would be about 500 lbs. 



Waterbuck do not show up by clay in anything like 

 the same degree as the other large game mentioned, 

 their habit being to lie hidden in thick covert till 

 tow^ards evening, when they emerge upon the lovely 

 parks and open pastures that fringe the river. One of 

 these spots in particular, adjoining the confluence of the 

 two Enderit Elvers with Lake Nakuru, was indeed a 

 charming picture — perhaps 500 acres in extent, dotted 

 wdth forest-trees siugiy or in clumps, and entirely inset 

 among woodland and thick jungle, which friuged the 

 banks of either river. It literally teemed wdth herds of 

 varied game, and forms the subject of Mr. Caldwell's 

 draw'ing opposite. 



My first sing-sing gave me a lesson of caution iu 

 handling these heavy horned beasts. Elmi, finding 

 himself unable alone to administer the coup de grace, 

 asked me to " stand on the horn." This I did, grasj^ing 

 the upper horn Avith both hands, while Elmi stood on 

 the tip, outside me. Such, how^ever, was the tremendous 

 power develojDcd by the big bull in a final struggle that 

 both of us were throw^n yards through the air. I also 

 received a blow in the ribs from the other horn, and, as 

 Elmi then fell on top of me, I got a shaking that I did 

 not forget for a day or two. The incident, however, ap- 

 parently caused merriment to my brother and the "boys," 

 who came up at that moment. Leaving the latter to 

 bring in the meat, we two walked campwards, and on 

 the way ran into a prowling tiger-cat, w^hich managed to 

 bounce through bush without oflering a shot. During 

 the subsequent hunt we lost our bearings, and, as it 

 w^as now dark, passed a bad half-hour ere we descried 



