THE ELANDS 
would have wandered off by themselves or two, three or four together, 
until the time again came round for them to seek the cows. Elands are, as 
a rule, shy and difficult to approach on foot, as they are very keen-sighted, 
but, of course, the modern long-range rifles render all wild animals 
living in fairly open country an easy prey to any sportsman who is a fairly 
good shot. 
If hunted on horseback, elands are the easiest of all African game to 
kill in open country, as, in the case of old bulls, they soon tire if chased at 
full speed, and can then very often be driven right up to camp before 
being shot. When pursued, elands, like most other animals, usually run 
up wind, and although it is very seldom that they can be made to turn 
right round and run in exactly the opposite direction, they can be made to 
swerve several points to one side or the other of the course they first start 
on. If an attempt be made, by riding in front of it, to make a tired eland 
turn right round, it will sometimes charge. In doing this it brings its fore- 
head almost to the ground, so that its nose is between its forelegs and its 
horns stand out straight in front of it. It can, of course, see nothing with 
its head in such a position, but it has marked its adversary well, and, 
coming on with a rush, strikes upwards where it thinks he ought to be. 
It is always very easy to avoid these wild charges by just spurring one’s 
horse to one side, and I have never known an eland to come round after 
the object of its attack. They just bring their heads up again at the end of 
their short rush, and then go trotting on; for they never charge, I think, 
even in this half-hearted way, until after they have broken from their 
gallop and are much exhausted. I have only known of one horse having 
been killed by an eland, and that was an exceptionally good shooting -pony 
which I myself sold to Lo Bengula, the last great chief of the Matabele 
Zulus. It was ridden by one of his own men, whom he had taught to ride, 
and was gored to death by an eland bull, which had been too closely ap- 
proached after having been galloped to a standstill. I once nearly had a 
very good horse of my own gored by an eland cow which I was trying to 
turn from its course and drive to my waggon. I had chased it till it had 
broken from its gallop to a trot, and I was riding close alongside of it to 
make it turn the way I wanted it to go. Several times it had turned towards 
me, and then, dashing past just behind my horse, resumed its own course, 
and I then had to gallop round it and force it to turn again. Suddenly, and 
with extraordinary quickness, it lowered its head and came for the horse. 
I only just avoided it, and, looking over my shoulder, I saw one of its long, 
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