THE GREATER KOODOO 



would not fire for fear of disturbing the beast we were 

 after. Luck, however, was against me, I was tired and 

 disappointed. Early in the day I had run an aloe spike 

 into my leg — I always shoot with legs and arms bare — 

 and was suffering much pain. 



Finally, it became time to turn homewards, when, as 

 we were walking along a ridge of the hill overlooking our 

 camp, on mounting a spur we suddenly saw the beast 

 below us, feeding on some mimosa bushes, hardly two 

 yards off ! He saw us too, for he raised his splendid head, 

 crowned with a magnificent set of horns, the wide spirals 

 showing to advantage by the light of the evening sun. 



Before I could raise my rifle, however, the koodoo 

 swung round and, giving a great bound forward, dashed 

 down the slope of the ravine. He paused, however, half- 

 way down, and suddenly turning to the left, galloped at 

 full speed past, and parallel to, the ridge on which we 

 stood. 



The distance was about one hundred and fifty yards — 

 so, taking a full sight and aiming well in front, I pressed 

 the trigger. The mighty beast ran on some twenty yards, 

 then stood under a small tree, swaying from side to side, 

 and I knew now that my bullet had found a vital spot. 



He was still breathing when we went up to him, poor 

 beast, so to end his sufferings I put another bullet into him. 

 He was a splendid old bull, scarred all over with many a 

 scar received in fights with his own species. 



The head of this animal carefully prepared by Rowland 

 Ward, the well-known Piccadilly mituralist, is a gem 

 amongst my large collection of Indian and African trophies. 

 Excepting the eland, the greater koodoo is the largest of 

 African antelopes. The average height of a full-grown 

 bull is about thirteen and a half hands at the shoulders. 



The colouring is mouse-grey, darkening to slate-blue 

 in older animals. Along the spine runs a white list, and 

 from this thin white stripes — seven or ten in number — 

 I'xt ending transversely across the body. Under each eye 

 is a white band, meeting in front of the jaw, and on the 

 cheeks two or three irregular white spots. 



The head is small and game^like, eyes large and brilliant, 

 and the ears full, round and very lensttive. From the 



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