TRAVEL AND SPORT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1314, 6 May 1897, Page 11

TRAVEL AND SPORT.

RE(VIINISG£NG£S GF ft GIRAFFE HUNT.

[By John A. Morris,] Gamelancl. The best known giraffe country is in the wild western portion of Khama’s country, in and around Bamangwato, South Africa. There were six of us in the company, an Englishman and myself, a mounted Bamangwato hunter and three desert-bred Masarwa bushmen. The Englishman, Lord Don Homily, and myself were each equipped with a light field-glass and a rifle, - and two waggons, containing provisions, etc., were taken along. The four men accompanying us each carried a native hatchet, assegai and skin cloak, and they, lean, thin-legged and lithe-limbed, as they were, looked as keen as hawks. In fact, their part of the business was to conduct the spooring operations.

Jast as the sun was rising and the golden yellow streaks of brilliant hue pierced the azure blue of the morning heaven, we quitted the wagons out into a vast, wearisome, waterless fiat, masked here and there with bush and low forest. After three hours and a half we halted for half an hour. The sun was broiling hot, almost hot enough to cook a beefsteak ; the desert, sandy and trackless, reflected the heat of a tropic sun ; but we were nearing the veldt in which the giraffe were feeding and every precaution had to be taken. Slowly we remounted while the African wind blew hot in our faces, and our bodies were bathed in profuse perspiration. Gray sand and shriveled mopani trees gave place to a reddish-hued soil and gigantic giraffe acacias. Curious tracks, reminding one ! of a huge and elongated cow’s foot, revealed the footprints of a troop of giraffe, ' which doubtless had been feeding in that locality at early morning. Shortly afterward the mounted Bamangwato hunter spies, above some green foliage in front, the shapely necks ol five or six great giraffe, which, in the same instant, see the pursuers. Things now brighten up wonderfully; girths are tightened, the bushmen’s eyes are gleaming excitedly, while, as the giraffe in some commotion swing off with an apparently lazy gait, we snatch our rifles from the the hands of Masarwa spoorers and give hot pursuit to the game. As my chestnut sorrel horse bore me ouward, 1 could not but notice the difference in colouring between the individual members of the giraffe troop. One was a dark chestnut streaked with black. He was the bull and thq, 6 captain of the herd, A cow of brilliant tawny orange colour with a beautifully systemmatical neck followed him. Two other cows just behind her were of a paler and more subdued tint, while in the rear of all was shuffling along a stilty, ‘ half-grown calf, of a washy fawn colour. Suddenly I heard a hard thud behind me and, looking around, I saw that the horse of Don Homily had, in crossing a grassy clearing put its foot into a jackal’s earth and unhorsed his rider. However, neither man nor horse was hurt, and Don Homily vaulted lightly into the saddle again and set his pony at its hardest gallop while he kept knocking his rifle against his boot, as he thundered along, to relieve the l weapon from the dark red sand. ' There are two animals—the elephant and giraffe—whose gait is very deceptive to the hunter. To see a troop of giraffe or elephants trotting you would not believe they were going very fast; but try to run one down once with the fastest pony you can obtain in Africa’andyou will soon have cause to change your opinion. Giraffes run or walk by moving the two limbs on one side simultaneously—as does the camel—and their greatest speed is attained by a series of ambling bounds, in which the hind leg 3 spread very widely and awkwardly.

During the pursuit I had driven the herd pretty hard but was unable to get a decent shot at them. Still in attempting to steer cloar of me some of them came wtlhin a hundre l yards of Don Homily. I As the grotesque procession swung past, my lord leaped from his pony, took careful aim at the foremost animal and pulled the trigger. The shot was fruitless. But now the giraffes were approaching me. Then seeing another enemy in my small personality they swerved to the left and dashed like mad down a steep incline. I urged my horse with knee and spur and voice to his utmost until at last I was within fifty yards of the orange hued female. Leaping off my animal I fire a shot at her which hits her and brings her { to the ground. But she is again on her ! feet and runs, it seems to me, faster than ever. But another shot is fired, and neatly lodged in her shoulder, she again falls. Ere she is able to rise a second time a bullet has found its way to her j heart and she is dead. !

This is the only game we managed to get during our hunt, though the Bamar.gwato hunter wounded one of tho other cows. The Englishman, who, by the way, was an excellent, sports man, was much chagrined and 'crestfallen over his ill-luck. But he forgot his troubles that night in a present to him of good old Port wine, which, I assure you, went very well with the giraffe steaks. I have a portion of the hide of that garaffe yet. Two pairs of gloves were made licom it, one of which I still poßress and th& other T gave to a certain little maiden in 'Vvogt Philadelphia GQ iny return to tho h