246 
EAST AFRICA AND ITS BIG GAME. 
It may be worthy of record that they would often allow 
us to crawl towards them, without showing any sign of 
alarm, until we were within a fair rifle-range, whereas if 
we attempted to walk towards them, even in a stooping 
position, they would invariably start off before we had 
approached within four hundred yards. 
Besides the game killed, we saw lions, rhinoceros, 
lesser kudu, wild dogs, hysenas, cheetah, water-buck, 
and zebra, the total seen amounting to nineteen varieties. 
I was responsible for losing the only chance at a cheetah; 
he got up while I was crawling in to some oryx, which 
I had been pursuing all day, and during a momentary 
reflection about sacrificing the prospect of getting the 
oryx he got out of range, but not before I had noticed 
that he was about the size of a small leopard, though 
longer in the leg, and of a light yellow colour marked 
with black spots. 
I had only one good day with the oryx, in which I 
came upon a big herd of over a hundred, and after a 
very long and painful crawl approached them within 
two hundred and fifty yards, at which distance I 
secured a couple. While we were cutting up the meat 
a strayed member was seen approaching as though 
desirous to rejoin the herd to which he belonged. But 
110 sooner had he satisfied himself that we were not the 
objects of his search, than he started off at a splendid 
pace, and was quite three hundred yards away before I 
could get hold of my rifle. I made, however, a lucky 
shot right through the heart, and he fell dead in his 
tracks. 
