THE WATER-BUCK— THE BRINDLED GNU 127 



There are, of coiu:se, several varieties of this 

 fine antelope, distributed over the various portions 

 of East and North Africa, but this, the common 

 and largest variety, is the only one known to the 

 region of Zambezia. 



The Brindled Gnu or Blue Wildebeeste is an 

 animal which goes through life under a grave 

 disadvantage. Nobody will take him seriously. 

 He is a mere blusterei*— one who, unduly conscious 

 of his wild and shaggy appearance, endeavours 

 to impose it upon the world at large, and impress 

 his fellow-creatures with the supposition that in 

 reality he is a devil of a fellow, and one who 

 stands no trifling whatsoever. The very way in 

 which he glares at you, as your scent assails his 

 nostrils, and snorts, and stamps, and fumes, as 

 though his one wish in life were that he might 

 have just one go at you 1 But he never does — 

 if unmolested, that is to say. He just dashes 

 madly away, whisking his tail and kicking up his 

 heels as though, had they been fingers, he would 

 have snapped them in your face. I do not say 

 that if wounded and cornered the blue wildebeeste 

 would not give a very good account of himself, 

 for I have seen him do it. But it is to his appear- 

 ance and general demeanom" before that mis- 

 fortune overtakes him that the foregoing lines 

 refer. 



The wildebeeste would seem to have entered 

 the ranks of the antelopes by mistake. He and 

 his plain friend (some say his relative) the harte- 

 beeste together do not convey the impression of 

 being antelopes in the least, as will be seen 



