THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
drinking for long periods, but also without any obvious substitute for 
water, I do not know, but these animals certainly live in very thirsty 
countries, where it is not at all obvious where they obtain water. Along the 
old trader’s road between Sechele’s town and Bamangwato, which skirted 
the eastern side of the Kalahari, and along which in the dry season there 
was no water at all except in wells which had been sunk at long distances 
from one another by the natives, and at which no animals could drink, 
there were but few hartebeests, if any; but as soon as the rains fell, and 
the vleys held water, these animals became plentiful, and they came from 
the west ! from the waterless Kalahari ! Probably they had been living 
previously to the coming -on of the rainy season on the wild melons of 
the desert, which provide many species of animals with both food and 
water after all the pools which hold water in the rainy season have become 
dry. 
Like all hartebeests, the Cape species is very keen-sighted and wary, 
but where it has not been much hunted it is not a difficult animal to shoot. 
When a herd of Cape hartebeests first takes alarm and runs off, it is ad- 
visable not to press them too closely, but just to follow them at a hand 
gallop. They will soon stop and turn round to take a look at their pursuers, 
and that is the time to dismount and take a standing shot. In fact, as soon 
as it is seen that the first of the herd is about to halt, one ought to jump to 
the ground and be ready for the bull, which will assuredly follow suit. 
As soon as one fires, the herd will run off again, but it will often stop 
again two or three times before finally galloping off. When pressed, an 
unwounded Cape hartebeest can travel at tremendous speed, exchanging 
its easy springy canter for a gallop, the pace of which few animals can 
equal. When running hard, a hartebeest lies low to the ground, with head 
and neck outstretched and held low, and it can maintain a great rate of 
speed for an indefinite time. 
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