124 ON SAFARI 



.succumbed to ^ fifth bullet (in the ueck) after the sun 

 had already set. 



In a siugle day I had thus secured two animals that 

 had previously defied our utmost efi'orts during a fort- 

 night's hunting. The heads of my two first Neumann 

 bulls measured as follows — ^ 



The irides were light hazel (those of Jackson's 

 hartebeest being pale j^ellow), and they possessed a sort 

 of dew-claw between the cleft of the fore-hoofs. Their 

 dead- weight we estimated at 400 lbs., intermediate 

 between B. jacJcsoni, which we put at 400 to 450 lbs., 

 and B. coJcci at 300 to 350 lbs. 



An incident which occurred during our pursuit of this 

 wounded bull deserves note. We were attended, all 

 the time, by a hyena which, scenting blood, trotted 

 along under our lee. He never ranged up alongside the 

 game (which held a 500-yard lead), but kept level and 

 not 100 yards away. I was keen to secure him, as Elmi 

 positively asserted that this hyena was difi'erent to the 

 spotted hyenas we had already shot [HycBna crocuta), 

 and I saw myself a distinction. It was probably of the 

 striped species {H. striata) ; but I dare not risk losing 

 our main objective, and before that had been secured 

 Vv'e had already lost sight of the hyena in the gathering 

 gloom of night. 



Another curious incident : At times, as we passed 

 by troops of grazing gazelles, our attendant hyena 

 trotted through the midst of these without arousing 

 alarm in their timid breasts. So incredible did this 

 appear, that I lay down on an ant-hill, sacrificing precious 

 moments, and brought the glass to bear. There, beyond 

 all doubt, was that great gaunt beast of prey peacefully 



^ These are only average specimens ; we subsequently obtained 

 trophies exceeding 19 in.«. 



