466 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



suddenly stopped short, and wheeling broadside on, 

 stood looking towareis us with upraised head and 

 glaring eyes. Seizing the lo, 1 fired tor his shoulder 

 — I thought with a steady aim ; but whether the 

 run had unsteadied me, or my gun, in which I now 

 placed but little faith, played me false, I do not 

 know ; anyhow, instead of giving the buffalo a dead 

 shot, as I ought to have done, I apparently did him 

 no harm, and, indeed, do not know whether I hit 

 him at all, for when 1 fired, he went off again at a 

 gallop. I followed him till the sun was well down, 

 but never saw him again, and returned to the bull 1 

 had first killed, very ill satisfied, for I had wounded 

 and lost two animals, and only secured one. 



That night we slept without water alongside the 

 carcase, anci early the next morning cut up the meat 

 and went to the native kraal we had seen the day 

 before. These people informed me that from here 

 to the junction of the Umfule and Umniati rivers it 

 was only a short two days' walk, but over very rough 

 country. After asking two or three different men 

 about it, and comparing their statements, I came to 

 the conclusion that they were really encieavouring to 

 speak the truth, which is as much as can be expected 

 from a Kafir ; so 1 determined to get back to our 

 encampment, and return here with Jameson as soon 

 as possible, that we might solve the problem for 

 ourselves. 



As soon as my boys had finished buying meal 

 and ground-nuts with their buffalo meat, I once 

 more made a start, and slept at a small stream not 

 far from the Umfule. Both on this night and the 

 preceding, lions roared not far from my camp. About 

 mid-day on the following day I got back to our big 

 camp, and found that Jameson had arrived just 



