THE AFRICAN BUFFALO 223 



I think there can be little doubt that very old bulls, which 

 are almost invariably solitary, become nearly if not quite deaf, 

 and it is partly owing to this infirmity that many accidents 

 have happened to unarmed natives, and occasionally to caravan 

 porters prowling in the bush in search of firewood, &c. The 

 buffalo, being deaf, is not aware of the approach of an enemy, 

 and when he perceives one close to him is so startled that 

 he charges in self-defence, his onslaught being so quick and 

 furious that the man (equally taken by surprise) is unable to 

 get out of the way. In support of this theory as to deaf- 

 ness I remember when in Turkwel, in the Suk country, on 

 December 14, 1889, the camp had been pitched at least 

 two hours, and some 400 porters had been roaming about 

 collecting firewood and water, shouting and yelling, as their 

 custom is, when a man came into camp to say that a buffalo 

 was lying under a tree within 200 yards of us. The man's 

 story appeared so improbable, although he pointed out the 

 exact tree, which I could see as I sat in my tent, that I did 

 not credit it in spite of his earnest protestations of ' Queli, 

 bwana, queli ' (True, master, true), so I sent my head gun- 

 bearer to verify it. In a few minutes he returned and reported 

 that a bull buffalo was certainly there apparently lying asleep at 

 the foot of an ant-heap under the tree. I immediately went 

 out, and walked straight up to the ant-heap, on the top of which 

 there was a large leafless bush, and on crawling up the side 

 of the heap I saw the buffalo within five yards of me. Just at 

 that moment he turned his head, and, seeing me, stood up, 

 had a look at me, and turned to bolt, but before he had got 

 many yards I knocked him over all in a heap with an 8-bore 

 bullet which raked him from stern to stem. On another 

 occasion, in the Kidong Valley (July 30, 1890), when camp 

 was being pitched with its attendant turmoil, a porter came 

 in to say that a buffalo was lying asleep close at hand. 

 Accompanied by Dr. Mackinnon, medical officer to the expedi- 

 tion, I went out, and we were led by the man direct to the 

 .beast, which was lying evidently asleep under a small bush, and 



