Once, In Another Part Of The Country, C. And I Saw A
Kongoni Leave A Band Of Its Own Species Far Down To Our Right,
Gallop Toward Us And Across Our Front, Pick Up A Herd Of Zebra We
Were Trying To Approach And Make Off With Them To Safety.
We
cursed that kongoni, but we admired him, for he deliberately ran
out of safety into danger for the
Purpose of warning those zebra.
So seriously do they take their job as policemen of the plains
that it is very common for a lazy single animal of another
species to graze in a herd of kongonis simply for the sake of
protection. Wildebeeste are much given to this.
The kongoni progresses by a series of long high bounds. While in
midair he half tucks up his feet, which gives him the appearance
of an automatic toy. This gait looks deliberate, but is really
quite fast, as the mounted sportsman discovers when he enters
upon a vain pursuit. If the horse is an especially good one, so
that the kongoni feels himself a trifle closely pressed, the
latter stops bouncing and runs. Then he simply fades away into
the distance.
These beasts are also given to chasing each other all over the
landscape. When a gentleman kongoni conceives a dislike for
another gentleman kongoni, he makes no concealment of his
emotions, but marches up and prods him in the ribs. The ensuing
battle is usually fought out very stubbornly with much feinting,
parrying, clashing of the lyre-shaped horns; and a good deal of
crafty circling for a favourable opening.
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