152 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WA YS 
CHAP. 
pursue it upon horseback, and hamstring the animal 
with a stroke of the long straight sword. When 
dealing with the Arabs in the purchase of horses, 
they invariably declare that the animal for sale 
can “overtake a giraffe”; this is the highest 
commendation. 
Riding down a giraffe would be easily ac¬ 
complished by a good English hunter, but not so 
easily by the small horses of the Soudan, that are 
seldom weight-carriers, and are hardly adapted to 
carry anything above 11 stone over broken ground. 
There is only one rule for following a giraffe, the 
horse must be pressed at its best speed from the 
moment that the animal is sighted. If you allow 
the game any leisure, it will appear to be going easily, 
but it will keep up that pace for hours ; on the other 
hand, if you commence with the spur, you obtain a 
good position early in the race, and you will then be 
surprised at the speed when you eventually close 
with your game. Care is necessary to keep a little 
upon one side, as the giraffe rushes madly through 
opposing tree-stems and overhanging boughs, which 
may spring backwards and inflict a serious injury 
upon horse and rider. 
The cloven hoof of a giraffe is a beautiful specimen 
of horn ; it is shaped with extreme elegance, like that 
of a deer upon a colossal scale. When at full speed 
over stony ground, the wide-spreading hoofs send 
showers of pebbles flying backwards, which have 
been known to injure the hunter when following 
exactly in the rear : this has given rise to the absurd 
