THE CREATURE GOD FORGOT 159 



a few steps in our direction the mother would become 

 almost frantic. Having no vocal chords she could 

 make no sound of warning; and unequipped with 

 paws she could not maul her infant the way a bear 

 would have done. Her only recovirse was a sort 

 of panicky trotting round and round the young 

 animal, punctuated by a series of nudges that made 

 little or no impression on the little one's burning 

 desire to find out what we were and why. 



This made a splendid picture of mother love. The 

 adult gave every sign of terror. She knew we were 

 not like the grazing animals to which she was used. 

 Probably our movements were nearest to those of 

 the beasts of prey that she knew would find a tasty 

 morsel in the tender haunches of her child. Yet 

 she would not desert it. And not imtil the silly little 

 creature consented to trot away with his adoring but 

 terror-stricken mother would she leave our vicinity. 



One strange phenomenon we often saw among the 

 giraffes was a half -grown female followed about by 

 several babies. Osa was siu"e that this was some sort 

 of "muse maid " arrangement. She used to report to 

 me of a night, "Martin, I saw a herd of giraffes today 

 with two nurses and five children." Probably the 

 truth of the matter is that the mothers are killed by 

 lions while defending their young. The infant man- 

 ages to escape dining the struggle and rejoins the 

 herd. But since the other adults are already taken 



