182 
HUNTING IN THE SOTIK [ch. yiii 
look very dark in most lights, only less dark than the 
wildebeest, and so are also conspicuous. The harte- 
beest change from a deep brown to a light foxy red, 
according to the way they stand toward the sun ; and 
when a herd was feeding away from us, their white 
sterns showed when a very long way off. The zebra’s 
stripes cease to be visible after he is three hundred 
yards off, but in many lights he glistens white in the 
far distance, and is then very conspicuous. On this day 
I came across a mixed herd of zebra and eland in thin 
bush, and when still a long way off the zebras caught 
the eye, while their larger companions were as yet 
hardly to be made out without field-glasses. The 
gazelles usually show as sandy-coloured, and are there¬ 
fore rather less conspicuous than the others when still; 
but they are constantly in motion, and in some lights 
show up as almost white. When they are far off the 
sun-rays may make any of these animals look very dark 
or very light. In fact, all of them are conspicuous at 
long distances, and none of them make any effort to 
escape observation, as do certain kinds that haunt dense 
bush and forest. But constant allowance must be made 
for the wide variations among individuals. Ordinarily 
tommies are the tamest of the game, with the big 
gazelle and the zebra next; but no two herds will 
behave alike. I have seen a wildebeest bull look at 
me motionless within a hundred and fifty yards, while 
the zebras, tommies, and big gazelles which were his 
companions fled in panic ; and I left him still standing, 
as I walked after the gazelles, to kill a buck for the 
table. The game is usually sensitive to getting the 
hunter’s wind ; but on these plains I have again and 
again seen game stand looking at us within fairly close 
range to leeward, and yet on the same day seen the 
