THE GIRAFFE—CAMEL-BUFFALO 191 
an enemy. The long legs provide him with this, and one of the big 
animals at full speed is too fast for any beast in the forest or on the 
plains of Africa. The sportsman’s only hope is to kill or injure badly 
with the first shot, for once frightened they are away like an express 
train. It takes only a few steps for them to acquire tremendous speed, 
and the little African ponies used as saddle horses are soon left far 
in the rear. It must not be imagined that man is the sole enemy of the 
giraffe. Lions and leopards kill great numbers of them, and it is to 
avoid such attacks that they are often seen running with their peculiar 
rocking, ugly gait across the plains at a tremendous pace. Their 
height and the odd deep sienna color of the body, covered with rust- 
colored spots darker in the center, makes the giraffe very conspicuous 
when in the open and the object of continual stalking by the beasts of 
prey. This naturally renders them so extremely wary and difficult 
shooting that the bagging of a giraffe is considered a big day’s work. 
Nature has provided them with a means of protection little understood. 
When in the forest where the giraffe naturally belongs, his gaudy 
coloring blends so thoroughly with the tropical foliage that it is hard 
to distinguish one from a tree or a tree from a giraffe. Even the 
natives are unable to distinguish them at any distance in the forest. 
When on the run, as might be expected, the animal is very odd look¬ 
ing. It proceeds by a series of awkward bounds, while the tail is 
swung from, side to side and the long neck rocks to and fro as if it 
were loose in its socket. , 
The Swiftness of the Giraffe. —A native came one day in 
great haste to inform his master, a great traveler, that he had seen 
in the neighborhood a giraffe browsing upon the limbs of a mimosa 
tree. “Full of joy, I instantly leaped upon one of my horses, and made 
my servant mount another, and, followed by my dogs, I galloped 
towards the mimosa indicated, but the giraffe was no longer there. We 
saw him crossing the plain on the western side, and we spurred on to 
overtake him. He was trotting along lightly, without, however, 
exerting himself unduly. We pressed the chase, and from time to 
time fired several shots after him; but imperceptibly he gained so 
much upon us, that after following him for three hours, we were 
forced to stop, our horses being quite blown, and we lost sight of 
him.” Here is a graphic picture of a giraffe hunt: 
