Page:Ossendowski - The Fire of Desert Folk.djvu/337

Rh with alfa-grass and afforded pasturage for the herds of the nomads we found encamped there. Inasmuch as their duars, or encampments, were always some distance off the road, we only occasionally saw out near the horizon the black spots of the tents, the shepherds guarding their flocks and the grazing camels.

As we were passing along the dried bed of the Tanekhuft River, we came upon two gazelles (Gazella dorcas) feeding in some thick alfa-grass. One of them made off in great jumps until it had disappeared in the green sea of the plain, while the second one continued to graze, apparently undisturbed by our presence. I snatched my rifle and had a shot at it at six hundred yards, only to see it bound away in the direction we were going. This gave me an opportunity to witness a repetition of the experience I had had when hunting antelopes (Gazella gutturosa) in Mongolia. As soon as we were under way, the gazelle quickened its pace with every increase in our speed and carried on for a distance parallel to our course, until it decided to put on more power and led us by a sufficient distance to allow it to cross in front of us. It was so far ahead and the motion of the car was so disturbing that I could only increase its speed with the shots I sent after it.

In view of the fact that certain sporting magazines had questioned my assertion of this characteristic in the Mongolian antelope, I was very much interested and pleased to see the trait duplicated in its African cousin and to hear from local hunters unquestioned confirmation of this peculiar habit.

In Tendrara, where two low, naked ranges come