84 ON SAFARI 



(presumably on flints) a group of Grant's gazelles 

 {Gazella granti hrighti — to give them their correct 

 title). These, perceiving us, and perhaps mistaking our 

 khaki-clacl forms, prone on the earth, for crouching 

 lions, advanced to mob their deadly enemy as small 

 birds mob a hawk. Their short, petulant " wuff, wuff," 

 attracted my attention, and, looking round through eyes 

 near blinded with perspiration, I saw a score of these 

 graceful antelopes within fifty yards, angrily barking 

 and stamping their slender feet. This demonstration was 

 being carried out in full view of our oryx, and I have 

 no doubt monopolised their rapt attention during the 

 fateful minutes while we gained the shelter of the 

 aloes. 



Thence, aiming between intervals of the spiky aloe 

 tops, I fired the shot that gave me my first oryx. It 

 was the female that fell, with a bullet high on tlie 

 shoulder. The bull bounced off, but shortly pulled up, 

 awaiting his consort. The distance was still under 

 200 yards, and I might at once have secured my pair 

 without further trouble, but for the freak of my gun- 

 bearer, Elmi Hassan. He, being a Somali and good 

 Mohammedan, must needs get his knife into any animal 

 before it was actually dead. Consequently, with all eyes 

 on "meat" and the still struo-orlino- cow, but none for 

 the grand bull standing beyond, he was already racing 

 in, thus ruining my chance of a second shot. It was 

 not the first time he had offended thus, but I put the 

 matter in such clear terms that it was the last. This 

 oryx (female) carried horns of 31 ins. in length, span 

 11 ins. between tips. 



As the bull continued to hover about on the horizon, 

 I followed on ; but after two hours' pursuit he suddenly 

 changed his mind and went off at speed, disappearing in 

 the distance. During all this time the herd of gazelles 

 had kept in close attendance on the larger animal, and 

 as they now remained alone I directed my attention to 

 them. This was, perhaps, rather unhandsome conduct, 

 seeing the assistance they had rendered me in securing 



