A TWELFTH ON THE EQUATOR 
51 
three cock ostriches. Despite much brave show and 
widespread plumes, not one of the three would close. 
The light degenerated into a mere demonstration in 
three acts—defiance, charge (not carried home), flight— 
and this was repeated again and again. 
Here, on the Alabanyata, we decided to spend our 
Twelfth, and made an early start. Down the riverside 
at dawn were numerous w T art-hogs in troops of five to a 
dozen, besides ostriches, gazelles, small antelope and 
jackal. Three miles below, the Alabanyata utterly dis¬ 
appears—lost in a great green vlei, or marsh, of a league 
in extent, all choked with tall flags. On the grassy fore¬ 
shore lay a herd of large animals that, in the distance 
and early sunlight, certainly looked like eland. On 
approach they proved to be waterbuck (defasset), but 
all apparently females, lying down. “No horn,” was 
Elmi’s verdict; but being confident that such a herd 
would hold at least one fair male, I crept back and 
presently gained another point of view. From here we 
were rewarded by discovering a grand bull lying between 
two groups of cows and half hidden thereby. His horns, 
laid back along the withers, were also inconspicuous. 
The utmost point of cover was still distant just 270 
yards from the game—the intervening foreshore being 
bare short grass, flat as a cricket-pitch, and dotted with 
enormous wild geese of the spur-winged species (P. 
gambensis). Buff-backed herons also marched about 
among the sing-sing, relieving the animals of parasites. 
The cows and calves kept up a low chorus of bleating 
cries. 1 half thought of “ whistling-up ” the bull, but the 
obvious risk of his form being then covered by the atten¬ 
dant cows was too great, and nothing remained but to 
take the long, lying shot. A sloping ant-hill afforded a 
perfect “ rest,” and the shot was followed by an answer¬ 
ing thud. Hither and thither ran cows in confusion, 
but beyond them lay one big prostrate form. The bullet 
had struck the neck. 
The horns of this bull taped 28 ins., by 8^-ins. around 
the base. One was slightly splintered at the point, and 
