U9 



CHAPTER XIX. 



A CRAFTY OLD BUFFALO. 



Life in camp being far from lively, I gladly availed 

 myself of the excuse to leave it for a few hours, 

 because meat was scarce and buffalo had been seen 

 a mile or two distant. Of course we had fish, but 

 Zulus will not touch it, and Mantatees showed no 

 predilection for it as an article of food. 



I had scarcely left home a quarter of an hour 

 when I espied an old bull looking out of some reeds. 

 His head was only visible ; doubtless he had just 

 risen from his mid-day siesta. The beast evidently 

 took a lively interest in our progress, particularly as 

 the course we were pursuing would have brought 

 us in his close proximity ; but as I neither desired 

 tough beef, still less being tossed, I gave the gentle- 

 man a wide berth. This afforded my followers 

 great satisfaction, for there was not within reach a 

 tree, bush, or rock, behind which they could secrete 

 themselves. That the old villain meditated mis- 

 chief there could be no doubt ; it was therefore 

 fortunate that we had observed him in time. As 

 often as not the aggressor, the Cape buffalo is cer- 

 tainly a most formidable animal, and as the heavy 



