The Journal of a Sporting Nomad 



stone dead just inside the belt of reeds ; he had 

 a lovely massive head, solid in the horns to the 

 centre. The one I had dropped dead to my second 

 shot looked a beauty too, but we found that the 

 horns were not solid in the front where they 

 meet, there was a space of about two inches of 

 soft tjssue, which it was impossible to discover 

 before he was dead, and although the horns 

 were good ones in shape and length, this blemish 

 spoiled them. I eventually utilized this head 

 by having it set up as a footstool. Between 

 us that morning we accounted for seven bull 

 buffalo, three of mine and four of Weddell's. 

 Another wounded bull had disappeared in the 

 reeds, and it was ticklish work following him 

 by the blood spoor through such a place. We 

 eventually came upon him dead. This beast 

 was one that Weddell had shot at. The head 

 was indifferent, so we decided to leave it as it 

 fell as a bait for lions. It took us quite a long 

 time to skin out the necks of the slain and cut 

 off the skulls, but with the help of Cooe and 

 some of the boys, we eventually got them back 

 to camp. The rest of that afternoon we spent in 

 curing the skins and preparing the skulls ; two 

 boys on to each skull soon had the desired effect. 

 Then the seven skulls were taken to the river, 

 and the brains were pounded out with a stick, 

 and washed out by the running water. This is 

 the quickest and easiest way of doing a some- 



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