Birds -- Tanzania; World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Tanzania
The warlike nomad Masai roamed the upland grass-lands of their great
reserves and held aloof from warfare. Only as guides in the early days on
the frontier were they of usefulness to our forces, and at that time they
were often seen about our camps. They were remarkable for their knowledge
of direction in a country of few apparent landmarks, and for the speed at
which they could cover long distances, with their ungainly shuffling run.
[Sidenote: BIG GAME]
I turn now to the big game of the country.
I know no more interesting and wonderful sight than that we often
witnessed, and that may be to-day witnessed, on the Kajiado Plains, and
in the neighbourhood of the Guaso Nyero valley. Not even the wonderful
migration of the vast bands of caribou in the far Canadian North can
surpass the sight of game one will see here in a day. In a single day’s
march herd after herd of game may be passed feeding plainly in view
in the open grass veldt—herds of wildebeeste, hartebeeste, zebra, and
Grant’s gazelle, are the most plentiful; and small groups of Thomson’s
gazelle, oryx antelope, giraffe, and ostrich. While in the Guaso Nyero
valley it may be your good fortune to sight a large herd of buffalo.
[Illustration: OSTRICHES.]
Eland antelope I only remember seeing in two localities—at Maktau on the
frontier, and in the Rufiji valley.
Within German territory no such vast numbers of game were encountered:
but that may have been because we did not again travel through open veldt
of the same nature as contained the herds on the frontier. Most game, in
German territory, were seen in the low-lying Mgeta and Rufiji valleys.
At Tulo and Kissaki, some species of game were plentiful. At Tulo,
reedbuck, waterbuck, mpala, and wart-hog were numerous, while a number
of hippopotamus haunted the sluggish Mwuha River. At Kissaki, bushbuck,
Harvey’s duiker, and wart-hog were the principal small game, while here,
and out to the great Ruaha and Rufiji Rivers, the territory was renowned
for elephant.
Elephant tracks, old and new, were everywhere in the neighbourhood of
Kissaki, but animals were seldom seen, since they were very wary,
and extraordinarily quick in scenting danger. If they detect human
scent—which they will pick up a mile or more down-wind—they are at once
alarmed and fast travel away from the danger, very often covering great
distances before reassured that they have reached a zone of safety.
[Sidenote: HIPPOPOTAMUS, RHINOCEROS]
At the Rufiji River a remarkable number of hippopotamus were seen. North
of Kibambawe village there is a chain of lakes no great distance apart,
and I have passed one of those lakes, Lake Tágalala, when there have been
scores of hippo, visible in the water. I should think the marsh-banked
Rufiji River throughout its course teems with those strange, cumbersome,
uncomely animals.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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