258 



GIRAFFE HUNTING. 



bend " or " the Roman fall," in their most palmy days, 

 were never a patch upon the gait assumed by these 

 worthies. A civilized white man can scarcely help 

 laughing to witness these antics, but I always try 

 to suppress the tendency, for men of such import- 

 ance as your drivers should never be made fun of, 

 or they would lose both respect and position in the 

 eyes of those that are subservient to them. What's 

 the odds, as long as they are happy, or how they 

 strut and pose, if they do their duty ? The game 

 that was feeding within two or three hundred yards 

 simply ceased to graze, so that it might the better 

 have a good look at the strange procession that was 

 passing before its view, but as to running away, 

 why, such an idea seemed never to enter their 

 heads. Occasionally one of the dogs, more venture- 

 some than its compani^^ns, would make a dash to 

 go in pursuit, but as nothing ran away to be pur- 

 sued, it would change its mind and return with an 

 injured air and " shame-faced " expression to the 

 position that it had lately vacated. 



But our watering, and therefore halting-place, 

 was not long in being reached. It was a grassy- 

 edged pond, with an area of not more than a couple 

 of hundred square yards. At the end where we 

 outspanned the banks were rather precipitous, and 

 there was every indication of deep water near the 

 shore ; but the other end was quite the reverse, 

 with a splendid network of lilies, all in full bloom, 

 reaching out for many a yard, till greater depth 

 prevented their further spread. The tree that I 

 had my waggons unyoked under was a meruley, at 

 the time covered with its golden yellow acid fruit, and 

 so abundantly provided with leaves as to guarantee 

 ample protection from the mid-day sun. Elephants 

 had been here lately, for their ordure lay abund- 

 antly about, no doubt attracted to the locality by 

 the fruit that hung overhead, of which they are re- 



