12 THE BOOK OF BIRDS 



walk in among a trooi? of these birds, stealthily discharging 

 arrow after arrow. 



The disguise enabled the Bushman to get within 

 range ; but it did not always save him from the conse- 

 quences of his bold trick. A German writer of thirty 

 years ago gives the following story of a hunter's experi- 

 ences in South Africa. He had a Hottentot servant, 

 Kulu by name, who greatly wished to try this trick on 

 the next group of Ostriches they sighted. He was allowed 

 to do so, his master and two friends following him at 

 a distance on horseback, curious to see how far he would 

 succeed. 



" But," says the hunter, " matters turned out quite 

 differently from what we had expected. At first he was 

 very successful. We saw him, through our telescopes, 

 striding along over the plain like a real ostrich, without 

 appearing to excite any suspicion among the birds. When 

 he got among them he took aim, and a bird fell." The 

 three horsemen then galloped up, but, when they reached 

 the spot, what was their surprise to find that the make- 

 believe Ostrich had also fallen, and was in danger of being 

 killed. 



Kulu had indeed shot his arrow, though the poison 

 had not been quick to take effect ; but the next time he 

 took aim the Ostriches became suspicious and closed in 

 upon him threateningly. Soon they grew sure that the 

 intruder was not one of themselves, and they fell upon 

 him, and beat and hustled him with their wings so roughly 

 that he sought safety in flight. But even a Hottentot 

 has no chance against an Ostrich in running, and he was 

 speedily knocked down. 



It is probable that he would have been kicked to 

 death before his friends reached him, had not his disguise 



