We Have Ceased Shooting Antelopes, As Our Men Have
Been So Often Gorged With Meat That They Have Become Fat
And dainty.
They say that they do not want more venison, it is so dry and
tasteless, and ask why
We do not give them shot to shoot the more
savoury guinea-fowl.
About eight o'clock the tsetse commence to buzz about us, and bite
our hands and necks sharply. Just as we are thinking of breakfast,
we meet some buffaloes grazing by the path; but they make off in a
heavy gallop at the sight of man. We fire, and the foremost, badly
wounded, separates from the herd, and is seen to stop amongst the
trees; but, as it is a matter of great danger to follow a wounded
buffalo, we hold on our way. It is this losing of wounded animals
which makes firearms so annihilating to these beasts of the field,
and will in time sweep them all away. The small Enfield bullet is
worse than the old round one for this. It often goes through an
animal without killing him, and he afterwards perishes, when he is of
no value to man. After breakfast we draw near a pond of water; a
couple of elephants stand on its bank, and, at a respectful distance
behind these monarchs of the wilderness, is seen a herd of zebras,
and another of waterbucks. On getting our wind the royal beasts make
off at once; but the zebras remain till the foremost man is within
eighty yards of them, when old and young canter gracefully away.
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