60 LARGE GAME. CHAP. i. 



taneously that one has rarely time to do more than jump 

 a yard or two on one side, where, however, more especially 

 in reeds, one is as safe as if ten times the distance off. If 

 the buffalo afterwards turns and comes back to look for 

 you, or should there be an open beyond your concealment, 

 then your second barrel comes into play ; but in my 

 experience, when a buffalo does charge, unless from a very 

 considerable distance, any time put off and lost in thinking 

 of firing a second shot at it is extremely likely to be fatal 

 to the hunter. 



After passing me I heard the brute wheel, and again 

 head down stream, until I lost the sound of the breaking 

 reeds. It is a curious trait of large game that after the 

 first rush their passage becomes inaudible, even though it 

 be through the thickest of thick jungle. The sound does 

 not even gradually die away, but suddenly, while yet 

 quite loud, it ceases to exist ; and yet, as the spoor after- 

 wards shows, the animal is still going at full speed. On 

 resuming the track I found that the buffalo was losing 

 more and more blood, and by the way he put down the 

 near fore-foot I felt sure that his shoulder was broken. 

 Of course I had to be more cautious than ever, particu- 

 larly when I found that he crossed and recrossed the 

 Nkwavuma, probably for the sake of cooling himself, but 

 which had the effect of bringing me into view while I was 

 in the water, when he might be watching me from the 

 opposite reeds. The stream is not broad, and for the 

 above reason I never crossed it exactly in his footprints, 

 but either above or below, until, on coming to a place 

 where a small island divided it, and where, the opposite 

 bank was so high that I could not be watched, I took 



