214 THE BONDS OF AFRICA 



still morning air might be within one hundred 

 yards, so distinct does it seem, but, as a matter 

 of fact, that lion is at least five or six miles 

 distant. 



I had now wandered a long way to the right 

 of the track being pursued by the wagon, and 

 confined my attentions to some " Tommies." 

 There was absolutely no cover, and where the 

 Thomson's gazelle were frolicking around the 

 land was as flat as the surface of a billiard-table. 

 The sun was mounting high in the heavens, 

 and I quickly made up my mind to resort to 

 tactics other than crawling snake-like along the 

 ground. Keeping the suspicious Thomson's in 

 the corner of my eye, I commenced to walk in a 

 circle around them with my head turned away 

 from the gazelles, as though I took no interest 

 in them whatever. At first the radius of my 

 circle, with the " Tommies " as the centre, was, 

 perhaps, two hundred yards. Gradually I de- 

 creased this radius, still walking slowly and 

 unconcernedly around. The gazelles in the centre 

 went on feeding, and now and then the rams 

 would throw up their stately little heads, or gaze 

 at me, half, I suppose, in fear, half in wonder at 

 my peregrinations. At last I had decreased 

 my circle to about one hundred and twenty 

 yards radius. I quietly sat down, and just as 

 the best ram was about to bolt I got him right on 

 the shoulder with a lead-nosed express bullet that 

 put a speedy end to his cogitations and fright. 



Where no cover offers this circuitous plan 

 often acts very satisfactorily. I have tried it 

 with tsessebe on the great Bangweolo plains in 

 British Central Africa with good results, and in 

 the East African Protectorate most of my 

 " Tommies " were obtained in this way. It is 



