The Whole Of This Country Abounded In Game Beyond Any That I Had
Hitherto Seen, And I Had Most Glorious Sport.
Among the varieties
of antelopes, was a new species that I had seen upon several
occasions on the Settite, where it was extremely rare.
On the
high open plains above the valley of the Salaam, this antelope
was very numerous, but so wild and wary that it was impossible to
approach nearer than from 350 to 500 yards. This magnificent
animal, the largest of all the antelopes of Abyssinia and Central
Africa, is known to the Arabs as the Maarif (Hippotragus
Bakerii). It is a variety of the sable antelope of South Africa
(Hippotragus Niger). The colour is mouse-grey, with a black
stripe across the shoulders, and black and white lines across the
nose and cheeks. The height at the shoulder would exceed fourteen
hands, and the neck is ornamented with a thick and stiff black
mane. The shoulders are peculiarly massive, and are extremely
high at the withers; the horns are very powerful, and, like those
of the roan and the sable antelope, they are annulated, and bend
gracefully backwards. Both the male and female are provided with
horns; those of the former are exceedingly thick, and the points
frequently extend so far as to reach the shoulders.
The Maarif invariably inhabits open plains, upon which it can see
an enemy at a great distance, thus it is the most difficult of
all animals to stalk. Nothing can be more beautiful than a herd
of these superb animals, but the only successful method of
hunting would be to course them with greyhounds; my dogs were
dead, thus I depended entirely upon the rifle. I was also
deprived of the assistance of the aggageers, whom I had left at
the Royan.
Rhinoceros and giraffes were very numerous throughout this
country; but the ground was most unfavourable for riding. The
surface resembled a beautiful park, composed of a succession of
undulations, interspersed with thornless trees, and watered by
streamlets at intervals of five or eight miles, while the
magnificent Alps of Abyssinia bounded the view to the south; but
there was no enjoyment in this country on horseback. The rainy
season converted this rich loam into a pudding, and the dry
season baked it into a pie-crust. The entire surface was loose,
flaky, and hollow; there was not a yard of ground that was not
split into deep crevices, that were regular pitfalls; and so
unsound was the general character of the country, that a horse
sank above his fetlocks at every footstep. I usually rode during
the day when exploring; but whenever I shot, it was necessary to
dismount, as it was impossible to follow an animal successfully
on horseback. I had on several occasions attempted to ride down
a giraffe, but upon such ground I had not the slightest chance;
thus the aggageers, who invariably hunt the giraffe by riding at
full speed until they can hamstring it with the sword, never
visit this country.
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