XXIX BUFFALO HUNTING 337 



a very fine fellow indeed. After they had cut off the 

 ears and the tail, with the greater part of the skin of 

 the back attached, to make it appear the larger, we set 

 off to cross the main ridge. It was very hot, and as 

 I lay in the shade during the mid-day rest, the shikari 

 pointed out the position of Metemmeh, hidden by a hill 

 in the distance, and named the different hills and streams, 

 while he cleaned his old Remington. Half the wood- 

 work of this weapon was worn away, and the block so 

 loose, that it had to be fastened with rope when he fired 

 to prevent it from blowing open. 



In the afternoon we continued our journey and 

 reached camp at six o'clock. All next day we vainly 

 searched for buffalo, but on the morrow were rewarded 

 by finding the fresh tracks of four, which we carefully 

 followed till evening. Early morning saw us back in 

 the spot where we had abandoned the tracks on the 

 previous night, in a narrow valley filled with thick bush. 

 We climbed a hill-top, but could see nothing ; I wanted 

 to keep along the high ground, since stalking such 

 suspicious animals as buffalo in dense jungle seemed to 

 me a hopeless task, but the shikari said they were 

 evidently changing their feeding-ground and might keep 

 going for another day ; so we descended and slowly 

 followed the track, only, after an hour's time, to come on 

 a place from which they had just bolted at our approach. 

 We scrambled up-hill as quickly as possible, but they 

 had too great a start of us, and we never caught sight 

 of them, though we heard afterwards that they had 

 passed close to my syce and mule. On the way down, 

 we passed a tunnel-like hole in the rocks, apparently 



