Guinea-Fowls, Francolins, Turtle-Doves, Ducks, And
Geese Are The Game Birds Of This Region.
At sunrise a herd of
pallahs, standing like a flock of sheep, allow the first man of our
long Indian file to approach within about fifty yards; but having
meat, we let them trot off leisurely and unmolested.
Soon afterwards
we come upon a herd of waterbucks, which here are very much darker in
colour, and drier in flesh, than the same species near the sea. They
look at us and we at them; and we pass on to see a herd of doe
koodoos, with a magnificently horned buck or two, hurrying off to the
dry hill-sides. 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. The
zebra has a great deal of curiosity; and this is often fatal to him,
for he has the habit of stopping to look at the hunter. In this
particular he is the exact opposite of the diver antelope, which
rushes off like the wind, and never for a moment stops to look
behind, after having once seen or smelt danger. The finest zebra of
the herd is sometimes shot, our men having taken a sudden fancy to
the flesh, which all declare to be the "king of good meat." On the
plains of short grass between us and the river many antelopes of
different species are calmly grazing, or reposing. Wild pigs are
common, and walk abroad during the day; but are so shy as seldom to
allow a close approach.
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