African Game Trails 
31 
forty yards, in plain sight, away from cover, 
she opened her eyes and looked drowsily 
at me; but I stood motionless and she 
dozed off again. This time I walked up to 
within ten feet of her. Nearer I did not 
care to venture, as giraffe 
strike and kick very hard 
with their hooves, and, 
moreover, occasionally 
strike with the head, the 
blow seemingly not be¬ 
ing delivered with the 
knobby, skin-covered 
horns, but with the front 
teeth of the lower jaw. 
She waked, looked at 
me, and then, rearing 
slightly, struck at me 
with her left fore leg, the 
blow, of course, falling 
short. I laughed and 
leaped back, and the 
other men ran up shout¬ 
ing. But the giraffe 
would not run away. 
She stood within twenty 
feet of us, looking at us 
peevishly, and occasion¬ 
ally moving her lips at 
us, as if she were making 
a face. We kept close to 
the tree, so as to dodge 
round it, under the 
branches, if she came 
at us; for we would have 
been most reluctant to 
shoot her. I threw a 
stick at her, hitting her 
in the side, but she paid 
no attention; and when 
Bakhari came behind 
her with a stick she 
turned sharply on him 
and he made a prompt 
retreat. We were laugh¬ 
ing and talking all the 
time. Then we pelted 
her with sticks and clods 
of earth, and, after hav¬ 
ing thus stood within 
twenty feet of us for three or four min¬ 
utes, she cantered slowly off for fifty yards, 
and then walked away with leisurely un¬ 
concern. She was apparently in the best 
of health and in perfect condition. She 
did not get our wind, but her utter indif¬ 
ference to the close presence of four men 
is inexplicable.* 
On each of the two days we hunted this 
little district we left camp at sunrise, arid 
did not return until eight or nine in the 
evening, fairly well tired, and not a little torn 
by the thorns into which we blundered dur- 
detaiJs. ^All tl 
hundred yards 
