664 
African Game Trails 
the beasts in an African landscape none is 
more striking than the giraffe. Usually it 
is found in small parties or in herds of fif¬ 
teen or twenty or more individuals. Al¬ 
though it will drink regularly if occasion 
offers, it is able to get along without water 
for months at a time, and frequents by 
choice the dry plains or else the stretches 
of open forest where the trees are scattered 
and ordinarily somewhat stunted. Like 
the rhinoceros—the ordinary or prehensile¬ 
lipped rhinoceros—the giraffe is a browsing 
and not a grazing animal. The leaves, 
buds, and twigs of the mimosas or thorn- 
trees form its customary food. Its extraor¬ 
dinary height enables it to bring into play 
to the best possible advantage its note¬ 
worthy powers of vision, and no animal is 
harder to approach unseen. Again and 
again I have made it out a mile off or rather 
have seen it a mile off when it was pointed 
out to me, and looking at it through my 
glasses, would see that it was gazing stead¬ 
ily at us. It is a striking-looking animal 
and handsome in its way, but its length of 
leg and neck and sloping back make it ap¬ 
pear awkward even at rest. When alarmed 
it may go off at a long swinging pace or 
walk, but if really frightened it strikes into 
a peculiar gallop or canter. The tail is 
cocked and twisted, and the huge hind legs 
are thrown forward well to the outside of 
the forelegs. The movements seem delib¬ 
erate and the giraffe does not appear to be 
going at a fast pace, but if it has any start 
a horse must gallop hard to overtake it. 
When it starts on this gait, the neck may be 
dropped forward at a sharp angle with the 
straight line of the deep chest, and the big 
head is thrust in advance. They are de¬ 
fenceless things and, though they may kick 
at a man who incautiously comes within 
reach, they are in no way dangerous. 
The following day I again rode out with 
Captain Slatter. During the morning we 
saw nothing except the ordinary game, and 
we lunched on a hill-top, ten miles distant 
from camp, under a thick foliage-spreading 
tree. Throughout the time we were taking 
lunch a herd of zebras watched us from 
near by, standing motionless with their ears 
pricked forward, their beautifully striped 
bodies showing finely in the sunlight. We 
scanned the country round about with our 
glasses, and made out first a herd of elands, 
a mile in our rear, and then three giraffes a 
mile and a half in our front. I wanted a 
bull eland, but I wanted a giraffe still 
more, and we mounted our horses and rode 
toward where the three tall beasts stood, on 
an open hill-side with trees thinly scattered 
over it. Half a mile from them we left the 
horses in a thick belt of timber beside a dry 
water-course, and went forward on foot. 
There was no use in trying a stalk, for 
that would merely have aroused the gi¬ 
raffes’ suspicion. But we knew they were 
accustomed to the passing and repassing of 
Wkamba men and women, whom they did 
not fear if they kept at a reasonable dis¬ 
tance, so we walked in single file diagonally 
in their direction; that is, toward a tree 
which I judged to be about three hundred 
yards from them. I was carrying the Win¬ 
chester loaded with full metal-patched bul¬ 
lets. I wished to get for the Museum both 
a bull and a cow. One of the three giraffes 
was much larger than the other two, and as 
he was evidently a bull I thought the two 
others were cows. 
As we reached the tree the giraffes showed 
symptoms of uneasiness. One of the smaller 
ones began to make off, and both the others 
shifted their positions slightly, curling their 
tails. I instantly dropped on my knee, and 
getting the bead just behind the big bull’s 
shoulder, I fired with the three hundred 
yard sight. I heard- the “ pack ” of the bullet 
as it struck just ^here I aimed; and away 
went all three giraffes at their queer rock¬ 
ing-horse canter-.-. Running forward I emp¬ 
tied my magazine, firing at the big bull and 
also at one of his smaller companions, and 
then, slipping into the barrel what proved 
to be a soft-nosed bullet, I fired at the latter 
again. The giraffe was going straight away 
and it was a long shot, at four or five hun¬ 
dred yards; but by good luck the bullet broke 
its back and down it came. The other bulls 
were now getting over the crest of the hill, 
but the big one was evidently sick, and we 
called and beckoned to the two saises to 
hurry up with the horses. The moment 
they arrived we jumped on, and Captain 
Slatter cantered up a neighboring hill so as 
to mark the direction in which the giraffes 
went if I lost sight of them. Meanwhile I 
rode full speed after the giant quarry. I 
was on the tranquil sorrel, the horse I much 
preferred in riding down game of any kind, 
because he had a fair turn of speed, and yet 
was good about letting me get on and off. 
