Hunting Buffalo 51 



woman, stooping to get water, was killed by my 

 friend the crocodile at the spot where I escaped. Of 

 all dangerous creatures I dread sharks and crocodiles 

 most ; one is so helpless when in their native element ; 

 on terra firma one can always make some kind of 

 defence. In the early Pretoria days I had built a 

 brick walled house and rode to Magaliesburg to hire 

 Gabriel Ezel, a noted thatcher, to thatch it for 

 me. I was riding a grand grey horse in fresh 

 condition. In the valley west of Daspoort (where the 

 cement factory now stands) I saw a small herd 

 of quagga grazing on the short green veld, and I 

 determined to drive them into Pretoria on my return. 

 In the afternoon, on my way home, I found them 

 still in the valley and gave chase. They were very 

 fat, so I soon came up to them, but they would not 

 cross the " nek " in the range towards the village, so 

 I killed two with my hunting knife, riding alongside 

 them stabbing them in the lumbar (above the 

 kidneys), which brought them down. The second 

 one, a big stallion, kicked my horse on the mouth 

 and made him swerve, just as I was leaning over to 

 stab him. I drove the knife clean through my foot 

 and into the sole of my boot, but I did not feel it 

 much at the time in the excitement, and killed the 

 quagga. I then covered them to prevent the "Aas- 

 vogels " (vultures) eating them, and rode to town, 

 and sent Hendrick Vermeulen with his wagon to 

 fetch them, as I wanted the meat for my boys. My 

 toot swelled, so that my riding boot had to be cut 

 open to get it off, and it was very painful and bled a 

 good deal, but I was healthy and it soon healed. 



I was told of a strange adventure that befel a 

 friend at the Moord Drift (where the Potgieter family 

 where all murdered by the Macapan tribe). My 

 friend, Robert Lys, was travelling to Zoutpansberg 



