CHAP. VIII.] 
HUNTING GIRAFFES. 
231 
being low, permit an extensive view to his telescopic 
eyes. He has a great objection to high forests. The 
immense height of the giraffe gives him a peculiar 
advantage, as he can command an extraordinary range 
of vision, and thereby be warned against the approach 
of his two great enemies, man and the lion. No animal 
is more difficult to stalk than the giraffe, and the most 
certain method of hunting is that pursued by the Hamran 
Arabs, on the frontiers of Abyssinia, who ride him down 
and hamstring him with the broadsword at full gallop, 
A good horse is required, as, although the gait of a 
giraffe appears excessively awkward from the fact of 
his moving the fore and hind legs of one side simul¬ 
taneously, he attains a great pace, owing to the length 
of his stride, and his bounding trot is more than a 
match for any but a superior horse. 
The hoof is as beautifully proportioned as that of 
the smallest gazelle, and his lengthy legs and short 
back give him every advantage for speed and en¬ 
durance. There is a rule to be observed in hunting 
the giraffe on horseback: the instant he starts, he 
must be pressed—it is the speed that tells upon him, 
and the spurs must be at work at the very commence¬ 
ment of the hunt, and the horse pressed along at his 
best pace ; it must be a race at top speed from the 
start, but, should the giraffe be allowed the slightest 
advantage for the first five minutes, the race will be 
against the horse. 
I was riding “ Filfil,” my best horse for speed, but 
utterly useless for the gun. I had a common regulation 
sword hanging on my saddle in lieu of the long Arab 
broadsword that I had lost at Obbo, and starting at 
full gallop at the same instant as the giraffes, away we 
went over the beautiful park. Unfortunately Eicharn 
was a bad rider, and I, being encumbered with a rifle, 
had no power to use the sword. I accordingly trusted 
to ride them down and to get a shot, but I felt that 
the unsteadiness of my horse would render it very un¬ 
certain. The wind whistled in my ears as we flew 
