CHAP. i. BUFFALO. 29 



its back, and over which the branches of some trees 

 which grew above were pulled down so as to form a 

 sort of network supporting a number of hides which did 

 duty for a roof. From these branches were suspended 

 almost everything that could be thought of by the South 

 African hunters, bandoliers, powder-flasks made of buf- 

 falo-horn, hunting-knives in sheaths made of a buffalo's 

 tail, hunting-charms, coats mostly old red regimental 

 ones, or military great-coats, blankets of many colours, 

 native dresses of wild cat or antelope skins, calabashes of 

 all sizes, containing buffalo or rhinoceros fat to be taken 

 home to the owner's wives, and sundry other articles of 

 native manufacture or use, not to mention the number 

 of bright gun-barrels which were placed against the bank, 

 or hung by loops of hide from the branches above, or the 

 dozens of assagais and sticks that accompanied them. At 

 night this was lighted up by a number of great fires in 

 front of the main camp, while every one of the little bee- 

 hive erections had its own fire before the entrance, round 

 each of which were grouped a number of natives employed 

 in telling hunting* stories, or in chanting hunting songs, in 

 the intervals of leisure afforded by their principal occupa- 

 tion of eating the meat roasting on sticks at every fire. 



I had left here early in the morning accompanied by 

 two hunters and a gun and water-bearer, and after wad- 

 ing across the river we had found the spoor of where a 

 large herd of buffalo had been feeding during the previous 

 night, and this we followed until about noon it led us 

 into a dense ukaku thicket. This, which is as often 

 known as " Bamba 'mpalla," or the impalla-catcher, from its 

 being supposed that that antelope is sometimes caught in 



