430 AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 



rhinos; and there was fresh sign of rhino as well as buffalo. 

 The thorny, scantily leaved trees were perhaps a little 

 closer together than in most places, and there were a good 

 many half-burned patches of tall grass. We passed a 

 couple of ponds which must have been permanent, as water- 

 lilies were growing in them; at one a buffalo had been 

 drinking. It was half-past twelve when we reached the 

 place where Sururu had seen the bull. We then advanced 

 with the utmost caution as the wind was shifty, and although 

 the cover was thin, it yet rendered it difficult to see a hun- 

 dred yards in advance. At last we made out the bull, on 

 his feet and feeding, although it was high noon. He was 

 stern toward us, and while we were stealing toward him a 

 puff of wind gave him our scent. At once he whipped 

 around, gazed at us for a moment with outstretched head, 

 and galloped off. I could not get a shot through the bushes, 

 and after him we ran, Kongoni leading, with me at his heels. 

 It was hot work running, for at this time the thermometer 

 registered 102 in the shade. Fortunately the bull had 

 little fear of man, and being curious, and rather trucu- 

 lent, he halted two or three times to look round. Finally, 

 after we had run a mile and a half, he halted once too often, 

 and I got a shot at him at eighty yards. The heavy bullet 

 went home; I fired twice again as rapidly as possible, 

 and the bull never moved from where he had stood. He 

 was an old bull, as big as an East African buffalo bull; 

 but his worn horns were smaller and rather different. 

 This had rendered Kongoni uncertain whether he might 

 not be a cow; and when we came up to the body he ex- 

 claimed with delight that it was a "duck" Kongoni's 

 invariable method of pronouncing "buck," the term he 



