THE SABLE 259 



magnificent creature, and, fortunately, yet common 

 throughout East and South-East Africa. The 

 Sable's chief attraction lies in his vivid colouring, 

 an old male being quite black on his back and 

 mane, and snowy white beneath his belly, on his 

 cheeks, and on the inner sides of his limbs. About 

 the size of a small Alderney, his shapely head, sup- 

 ported by a powerful arched neck, is surmounted 

 by a magnificent pair of deeply annulated horns, 

 which sweep backward almost in a perfect half 

 circle, and attain a length of considerably over 

 40 inches, sometimes measuring 10 or 12 round 

 the base. It is said that the Sable is one of the 

 few, if not the only animal a lion is chary of 

 attacking. He is extremely dangerous when 

 brought to bay, and so powerful and courageous 

 that 1 have sometimes thought there may be some 

 truth in the statement. The female is somewhat 

 smaller than her consort, and her horns nothing like 

 so impressive. Her colouring, moreover, is some- 

 what less violent, very dark chestnut-brown with 

 darker tendencies on the back and mane, the under 

 portions of the body yellowish white, instead of pure 

 white as in the case of the male. A herd of Sable 

 presents one of the most interesting and fascinating 

 of all game pictures — indeed, as they sweep past 

 one at a short range, a bewilderingly beautiful 

 vision of strength, swiftness, and symmetry, one 

 feels instinctively that the camera is the instrument 

 one requires and not the rifle at all. It is a moment 

 for the art of the limner, not that of the destroyer. 

 That larger member of the same family — the 

 plainer member, as one cannot help thinking — the 



