THE AFRICAN BUFFALO 231 



besides buffaloes, which were generally found feeding in the 

 early morning before the sun became too hot. 



As I walked over the plain on the left bank of the river I 

 passed great quantities of game including eland, water-buck, 

 impala, and a troop of thirteen ostriches (which I had tried 

 many times to circumvent, but always unsuccessfully until I drove 

 them, when I got a fine old cock bird), besides the everlasting 

 zebra and 'kongoni' (hartebeest). After going about three 

 miles up the river, I at last saw two old bull buffaloes on the 

 opposite side of the plain, quietly feeding close to an isolated 

 patch of bush which stood some little distance from the main 

 belt out in the plain. As buffaloes have rather poor sight, 

 and as there were two or three big trees between the beasts 

 and myself, about 400 yards from them, I told my men, 

 some twenty-five in number, to follow me in single file, and 

 we all got up to a tree without the least trouble. At that 

 moment a herd of zebras, which had hitherto taken no notice 

 of us, suddenly took fright on getting our wind, and galloped 

 round between us and the buffaloes. The latter, being thus 

 disturbed, lumbered off into the isolated clump of thick bush 

 close by. After giving them time to settle down and forget 

 their fears, I proceeded more cautiously with my two gun- 

 bearers, leaving the rest of the men under the tree with orders 

 to come on when . they heard a shot or other signal. The 

 buffaloes, however, were evidently on the alert, and as they 

 were standing in the shade, they discovered us when we were 

 still 100 yards off as we crossed the open, and bolted out 

 on the opposite side, making for the main bush. Running 

 round the clump to try and keep them in sight, I was just in 

 time to see them enter the open bush and disappear from view. 



This made it necessary for us to take up their spoor, and 

 while the gun-bearers were so engaged I kept a look-out ahead. 

 After going a short distance, I suddenly saw one of the brutes 

 trotting back towards us, and when about 100 yards off it dived 

 into a small dense clump of bush some 20 yards square, 

 followed almost immediately afterwards by the other one. 



