THE BIG GAME OF AFRICA 



The Cape buffalo will hardly ever attack a human be- 

 ing, unless hunted, wounded, or molested in some way, 

 or perhaps suddenly surprised in his own haunts. But 

 all African hunters agree in this, that once wounded or 

 cornered, the buffalo is one of the most dangerous beasts 

 to approach. If he has been wounded but not instantly 

 killed, he will either charge straight down on his assail- 

 ant, if the latter is in plain view, or else he will make for 

 some thick cover, which generally is not far away, as the 

 buffalo is seldom found on the open plains in the daytime. 

 His favorite haunts are in the dense jungles of both the 

 hot lowlands along the coast of the Indian Ocean, and 

 of the higher inland plateaus, preferably in the vicinity 

 of rivers, swamps, and lakes, where he sometimes stands 

 for hours up to his belly in the water or resting in the 

 thick papyrus or under overhanging trees. On the moun- 

 tain ranges he is almost invariably found in large numbers 

 on the foothills even up to an altitude of some seven to 

 eight thousand feet. These forests offer the buffalo oc- 

 casional larger and smaller open spaces, overgrown with 

 luxuriant grass, which seems very attractive to the beau- 

 tiful beast. 



The buffalo is one of the most wary animals. He has 

 so fine a sense of smell, that only the elephant and the 

 rhino can be compared with him in this respect, the ele- 

 phant alone being his superior in being able to scent his 

 enemies at long distance. This fact makes it very dif- 

 ficult to get a shot at the buffalo at close range, particularly 

 in localities where he has been much disturbed. Here 

 he hides in the daytime in the thickest jungle, often sleep- 

 ing for hours in the shadow of big trees. He is even then, 



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