134 A BUFFALO HUNT [ch. vi 



swamp. The whydah birds were continually bobbing 

 up and down in front of us as they rose and fell on 

 their dancing- places, while the Kavirondo cranes called 

 mournfully all around. Before we had gone two miles 

 buffalo were spied, well ahead, feeding close to the 

 papyrus. The line of the papyrus which marked the 

 edge of the swamp was not straight, but broken by 

 projections and indentations ; and by following it closely 

 and cutting cautiously across the points, the opportunity 

 for stalking was good. As there was not a tree of any 

 kind anywhere near, we had to rely purely on our 

 shooting to prevent damage from the buffalo. Kermit 

 and I had our double-barrels, with the Winchesters as 

 spare guns, while Cuninghame carried a "577, and 

 Heatley a magazine rifle. 



Cautiously threading our way along the edge of the 

 swamp, we got within a hundred and fifty yards of the 

 buffalo before we were perceived. There were four 

 bulls, grazing close by the edge of the swamp, their 

 black bodies glistening in the early sun -rays, their 

 massive horns sliowing white, and the cow -herons 

 perched on then- backs. 'I'hey stared sullenly at us 

 with outstretched heads from under their great frontlets 

 of horn. The biggest of the four stood a little out from 

 the other three, and at him I fired, the bullet teUing 

 with a smack on the tough hide and going through the 

 lungs. We had been afraid they would at once turn 

 into the papyrus, but instead of this they started straight 

 across our front directly for the open country. This 

 was a piece of huge good luck. Kermit put his first 

 barrel into the second bull, and I my second barrel into 

 one of the others, after which it became impossible to 

 say which bullet struck which animal, as the firing 

 became general. They ran a quarter of a mile into the 



