I FIRST EXPEDITION FROM MOMBASA 17 



bush to hunt in I might have had a splendid chance at 

 them. 



We took a more direct route returning, and the first 

 day slept at the most easterly of the head streams of the 

 Mackenzie ; my intention being to go on to the second next 

 day and camp there for a few days to shoot meat to carry 

 back partially dried to the " boma." On our way the first 

 day, when within about a couple of hours' march of the 

 stream, we passed through a beautiful open glade with short 

 green grass. Here I had shot a couple of Grant's gazelle 

 on our way out, and seen zebra, oryx, and ostriches ; so I 

 expected to find game, and hoped to shoot something for the 

 men if not for myself, as I had been unable to get a shot at 

 a rhino I had seen during the morning. 



As soon as we emerged from the bush we saw zebra ahead, 

 so I made the men sit down while I went after them alone. I 

 soon saw that they were not the common kind, by their wide 

 ears, narrow stripes and much larger size, and became interested ; 

 for any animal new to me always delights me. But while I was 

 stalking those ahead of me, another lot I had not seen trotted 

 out of the bush to my right and ran past me. But halting for 

 a moment to look at the (to them) strange creature, they gave 

 me a good chance, and one received a bullet, which I saw at 

 once by the way he galloped off would be fatal ; and following 

 to where he had disappeared I found him lying down as if 

 alive, but in reality dead. I might have shot a second, but 

 one was enough for our present needs. A beautiful creature 

 he was ; far handsomer than Burchell's and its allies as well as 

 much bigger. This was my first acquaintance with Grevy's 

 magnificent zebra. I skinned his head for a trophy. I 

 noticed too that the cry of this zebra (as I shall have 

 occasion to notice more particularly later on) was quite 

 different from the bark of all the small kinds (which are 

 merely local varieties of Burchell's), being a very hoarse kind 

 of grunt varied by something approaching to a whistle. This 



C 



