302 UNSUCCESSFUL ZEBRA-HUNT. 



The animals can be seen here only by following on their trail 

 for many miles. Urged on by hunger, we followed that of some 

 zebras during the greater part of the day: when within fifty 

 yards of them, in a dense thicket, I made sure of one, but, to my 

 infinite disgust, the gun missed fire, and off they bounded. The 

 climate is so very damp, from daily heavy rains, that every thing 

 becomes loaded with moisture, and the powder in the gun-nipples 

 can not be kept dry. It is curious to mark the intelligence of the 

 game ; in districts where they are much annoyed by fire-arms, they 

 keep out on the most open spots of country they can find, in order 

 to have a widely-extended range of vision, and a man armed is 

 carefully shunned. From the frequency with which I have been 

 allowed to approach nearer without than with a gun, I believe they 

 know the difference between safety and danger in the two cases. 

 But here, where they are killed by the arrows of the Balonda, they 

 select for safety the densest forest, where the arrow can not be 

 easily shot. The variation in the selection of standing-spots 

 during the day may, however, be owing partly to the greater heat 

 of the sun, for here it is particularly sharp and penetrating. How- 

 ever accounted for, the wild animals here do select the forests by 

 day, while those farther south generally shun these covers, and, 

 on several occasions, I have observed there was no sunshine to 

 cause them to seek for shade. 



