-»5 Buffaloes and Crocodiles 



ledofe it — I selected one bull th;it was Q^razincr alone 

 somewhat away from the herd. The distance was about 

 1 20 paces. As I fired it shrank back, tossinf^ up its head 

 and Happing its taik A second bullet sent it tailing 

 forwards, the whole herd taking tlight instantly, disappear- 

 ing into the high sedges with lightning speed. The bull 

 rose again, l:)ut a third shot did for it. So at last I had 

 killed a buffalo! 



The skinnino- of the animal and tht; crirrvino' of the 

 heavy skin through the marsh into the camp, and then 

 the various processes ot preparing it, entailed much labour ; 

 but the joy at the result of my perseverance was great 

 indeed. 



Eight more days on " Heck Island" did not bring 

 me another chance of a shot. Buffilo-hunting in East 

 Africa, it will be seen, is no easy matter. It was otherwise 

 before the year 1S90. From this time onward the 

 rinderpest began Its ravages in German and Ikitish East 

 Africa. The epidemic was spread last and wide by the 

 tame cattle, and the fine East African buftaloes were nearly 

 all laid low. An English official and friend of mine found 

 on one day in that year about a hundred sick buftaloes 

 in various stages of dissolution. I myselt tound their 

 bleached horns at that sad time in great numbers all 

 over the place. 



In 1 88 7 Count Teleki shot 55 buftaloes in three 

 months on the Nguaso-Niyuki ; and Richard Bohm 

 relates that in mountainous and damp Kawenda he met 

 quantities of herds comprised of hundreds of buftaloes, 

 and that their lowing could be heard by the passing 



