06 Great and Small Game of Africa 



to put on a cord coat when his trackers are actually hot upon the spoor. 

 Otherwise he may suffer cruelly from thorns when ramming his horse 

 through the bush in the heat of the chase. 



So soon as the giraffe are sighted, it is the hunter's business to 

 push his horse with whip and spur at its hardest gallop in pursuit. 

 Giraffes, at their own pace, can stay amazingly, and will wear out the 

 toughest pony. But, forced beyond their pace, they tire, and the hunter 

 can gallop right up to their sterns in from 2 to 4 miles of headlong 

 chase and get his shot at close quarters, firing from the saddle. Some 

 hunters ride up to within 50 or 100 yards, jump off, and take their shot on 

 foot. In the writer's experience, after trying both methods, it is better to 

 push one's horse to within a few yards of the stern of the quarry, and then, 

 dropping the reins, take one's shot without dismounting. A solid bullet, 

 whether .450, .500, or other bore — it should not be less than .450 — easily 

 penetrates the short body of the giraffe and reaches the vital parts. It is best 

 to aim at the root of the tail. The ordinary Martini-Henry solid bullet, 

 Government pattern, is good enough, and has been found by the writer 

 to be an excellent missile for this kind of game. When first disturbed, 

 giraffes usually shuffle off at walking pace. This pace is very deceptive, 

 and the hunter is apt to be misled by it. It is better instantly to put 

 one's pony to its swiftest gallop and make the pace as hot as possible, 

 it the sportsman wishes to bag his game. Sometimes a troop may be 

 found on the outskirts of a forest, and can be forced into the open. The 

 gallop is then a glorious and most exciting one, and the view thrilling in 

 the extreme. From the long, slouching, yet marvellously swift walk, 

 the animals break into a curiously awkward bounding gallop. Their tall 

 forms rock and sway in an extraordinary manner, and the long necks 

 meanwhile swing up and down with mechanical, flail-like motion. In 

 bush and forest, giraffes dodge and swing round trees, and duck their 

 long necks under low branches in a quite amazing manner. The thickest 



