138 Great and Small Game of Africa 



a herd away at full speed, and it is little but a glimpse that the sportsman 

 then gets of them. I am inclined to assert that this animal's powers of scent 

 are stronger and more relied upon than its sight, for in the instances in which 

 it has been deceived into quietude whilst the hunter remained in full view, 

 the wind has been noted as blowing direct from the beast to the hunter, 

 whereas with a cross wind or in a hilly corner, where cross and circling 

 currents of air may occur, it takes alarm and hurries off at once. Again, it 

 is a common habit of this hartebeest, when met by a man going up wind, to 

 bolt off to either hand, and then break back behind its pursuer ; and I have 

 at times brought down a good head by counting upon this and sprinting for 

 all I was worth on my back tracks, thereby getting a running shot as the 

 game broke back behind me. Herding together, West African harte- 

 beests lie up for the night, as a rule, in small open spaces, if possible well 

 away from any patches of grass or bush. Rising soon after daylight, they 

 feed slowly and quietly away, but not with much idea of watering. Water- 

 holes rarely show many hartebeest tracks, and the general tendency of 

 evidence goes to prove that they need very little water to sustain life. 

 Their feeding is ended early, and by 9 or 10 a.m. they are mostly lying up 

 under trees or standing about in the shade with drooping heads, idly flicking 

 the flies away from them. They are more easily approached at this hour, 

 particularly if the sportsman has discerned them in time and can plan his 

 stalk with reference to the wind. A herd with young is the most difficult 

 to get at, as the young do not appear to doze as do the adults in the hot 

 hours ; and, capering and gambolling about, never farther than 50 yards away 

 from their parents, they form a vigilant guard, which has many times 

 spoilt my chance of a good head. 



The young are dropped between Christmas and the middle of February, 

 and are strong and fleet almost immediately after birth. 



The pace of the West African hartebeest when at full speed exceeds 

 that of any other antelope in West Africa. At a trot or canter it is 



