86 IN BRIGHTEST AFRICA 
should have been afraid to shoot for fear of getting 
into difficulties when they had located my position. 
I turned and followed them rapidly as they sped away 
over the hard ground until the noise of their stampede 
suddenly stopped. I then decided that it was best 
to get to some point of vantage and await further 
developments. I climbed an acacia tree that enabled 
me to look over the top of the bush. Fifty yards 
ahead I could see about fifty buffaloes lined up in a 
little open patch looking back on their trail. As I 
was perched in the tree endeavouring to pick out a 
desirable animal, I suddenly discovered a lone old 
bull buffalo coming from the bush almost directly 
underneath me, snifing and snuffing this way and 
that. Very slowly, very cautiously he passed around 
the tree, then back to the waiting herd, when they 
all resumed their stampede and made good their es- 
cape for the day. 
One morning I came in sight of the herd just as 
it was entering the thorn bush and followed hurriedly 
on the trail, until just at the edge of the jungle I 
happened to catch sight of the two black hoofs of an 
old cow behind the low-hanging foliage. I stopped, 
expecting a charge. After a few moments I backed 
slowly away until I reached a tree where I halted to 
await developments. Stooping down I could see the 
buffalo’s nose and black, beady eyes as she stood mo- 
tionless. The rest of the herd had gone on out of 
hearing and I think she was quite alone in her pro- 
posed attack. After a few moments, apparently 
realizing that her plan had failed, she turned about 
