A TWELFTH ON THE EQUATOR 53 



while we, being in the liollow below his sight, were free 

 to continue our advance. At little over 100 yards the 

 tips of those thick-set back-bent horns showed up above 

 intervening bush, and, firing low through the foliage, 

 judging where the chest would be, a dull echoing response 

 told that another grand beast lay dead. 



Jackson's hartebeest is the finest of the genus found 

 in East Africa, and closely related to the red hartebeest 

 {Biihalis caama) of the Cape. It is probably the 

 northern form of one species, for in some specimens a 

 trace of the black facial " blaze " characteristic of B. 

 caama is found retained in B.jachsoni — in this example 

 it extended from above the nostrils half-way to the base 

 of the horn-pedicles. Other specimens obtained later 

 showed no sign of this, and even the dark-red pelt is 

 not an invariable distinction, for one bull shot later was 

 quite pale in body-colour — lighter, indeed, than B. cohei. 

 The dead-weight of this animal we estimated at full 

 400 lbs., against little over 300 lbs. in B. cokei; and 

 the horns taped 22 ins., by 10|^ ins. in basal circumference, 

 with a span of 7|- ins. between tips. Irides yellow. 



Meanwhile, our previously-wounded bull had dis- 

 appeared. We made every possible efi"ort to recover 

 him, following for miles and sending out scouts to watch 

 the vultures, but never again was he seen. 



Camp was now five miles distant, the white tents 

 mere specks across a shimmering plain, and it was 

 two o'clock ere we reached them. 



Numerous ostriches on this plain seemed to challenge 

 an attempt to stalk ; but this is an undertaking of no 

 small difficulty. The immense height of these giant 

 birds — they stand about 8 ft. — enables them to see 

 over any ordinary covert. They walk, moreover, when 

 feeding along, faster than one can run — run, that is, all 

 doubled up and obstructed by strong grass and intercept- 

 ing creepers. My brother, nevertheless, secured here a 

 cock ostrich under the following circumstances. Afar 

 on the plain two ostriches were rolling on a bare patch 

 among the grass — taking a dust-bath. Neither W 



