BOER MARKSMANSHIP. 249 



direct course, and saves the man who is near a 

 climbable tree, which is then sometimes blockaded 

 by the buffalo, perhaps for hours, in the event of 

 the loss of his weapons by the intended victim 

 during the scrimmage or the climb. As I have 

 been " treed " more than once, I can assure the 

 reader that the entire evolution is sufficiently 

 unpleasant until one is at least several feet above 

 the pursuer's reach. 



In a fairly open country buffaloes rarely charge 

 home, and on the hunt I am now treating of no 

 accident happened, but after we returned to the 

 waggons, and were busy drying the hides, a couple 

 of Kaffirs offered to barter a hide, and we came 

 to terms. The couple then left the camp to bring 

 in the spoil, and late on the following day only 

 one returned, looking abject enough. 



The story was that he and his chum thought 

 they had seen a badly wounded buffalo during our 

 march back to the camp, and that they should find 

 him dead and strip him of his armour. In fact, 

 they found him lying apparently defunct, and one 

 of them, to make sure, threw an assegai at him, 

 on the receipt of which the dying animal suddenly 

 sprang up, pinned the poor Kaffir, and shortly 



