African Game Trails 
395 
bull they overhauled at once, but saw that around, and off he gallops, plunging, kick- 
his horns were poor and left him. Then ing, and shaking his head. He may go 
they followed a fine cow with an unusually straight away, he may circle round, or even 
good head. She started at a rattling pace, approach nearer to, the intruder; and then 
and once leaped clear over another cow that he halts again to stare motionless, and per- 
got in her way; but they rode 
into her after a mile’s smart 
gallop—not a racing gallop 
by any means—and after that 
she was as manageable as a 
tame ox. Cantering and trot¬ 
ting within thirty yards of her 
on either quarter they drove 
her toward camp; but when 
it was still three-quarters of 
a mile distant they put up a 
cheetah, and tore after it. 
A cheetah with a good start 
can only be overtaken by 
hard running. This one be¬ 
haved just as did the others 
they ran down. For quarter 
of a mile no animal in the 
world has a cheetah’s speed; 
but he cannot last. When 
chased these cheetahs did not 
sprint, but contented them¬ 
selves with galloping ahead 
of the horses; at first they 
could easily keep their dis¬ 
tance, but after a mile or 
two their strength and wind 
gave out, and then they al¬ 
ways crouched flat to the 
earth, and were shot with¬ 
out their making any at¬ 
tempt to charge. But a 
wart-hog boar which Kermit 
. ran down the same day and shot with 
his revolver did charge, and wickedly. 
While running one of these cheetahs Ker¬ 
mit put up two old wildebeest bulls, and 
they joined in the procession, looking as if 
they too were pursuing the cheetah; the 
cheetah ran first, the two bulls, bounding 
and switching their tails, came next, and 
Kermit, racing in the rear, gained steadily. 
Wildebeest are the oddest in nature and 
conduct, and in many ways the most inter¬ 
esting, of all antelope. There is in their 
temper something queer, fiery, eccentric, 
and their actions are abrupt and violent. 
A single bull will stand motionless with 
head raised to stare at an intruder until the 
latter is quarter of a mile off; then down 
goes his head, his tail is lashed up and 
Tarlton with a cobra. 
From a photograph by Kermit Roosevelt. 
haps to utter his grunt of alarm and de¬ 
fiance. A herd when approached, after 
fixed staring will move off, perhaps at a 
canter. Soon the leaders make a half 
wheel, and lead their followers in a semi¬ 
circle; suddenly a couple of old bulls leave 
the rest, and at a tearing gallop describe a 
semicircle in exactly the opposite direction, 
racing by their comrades as these canter 
the other way. With one accord the whole 
troop may then halt and stare again at the 
object they suspect; then off they all go at 
a headlong run, kicking and bucking, tear¬ 
ing at full speed in one direction, then sud¬ 
denly wheeling in semicircles so abrupt as 
to be almost zigzags, the dust flying in 
clouds; and two bulls may suddenly drop 
to their knees and for a moment or two 
