WATERHOLE THRILLS 75 



season there is so much water that the game does not 

 need to gather at any particular oasis. 

 N^\Impalla and Grant come and go all day. They 

 walk right to the water without looking aroimd very 

 much. Zebra and or^rx come slowly and stop every 

 few feet to look around. Sometimes it takes them 

 two hours to get to water from the time I first see 

 them. This badly wears one's patience. 



Giraffe are the most shy of all. They will hang 

 aroimd sometimes for hours without taking a drink. 

 The slightest thing that frightens them sends them 

 off never to return that day. Other game can get 

 many frights but still keep coming back. 



The trouble with the giraffe is that he is so pain- 

 fully awkward. To drink he must spread his four 

 legs stiffly apart and lower his long neck. In that 

 position he is not free to spring away in a gallop. 

 He must scramble for a few vital seconds if there is a 

 lion around. He seems to reahze this. 



Little game comes along in the morning unless it is 

 a very hot day. On a cloudy day few animals come 

 at any time; but on hot days they come in groups 

 separated by a himdred yards or so. As they amble 

 along they stop now and then and stand dully with 

 their heads down. Apparently the heat makes them 

 sluggish. 



Zebra and oryx are always fighting with other 

 members of their own species. These idiots tear 



