chap. I. BUFFALO. 39 



their kraals, a distance of thirty or more miles, to ask me 

 to shoot meat for them, and early on the morning of the 

 following day a troop of buffalo having been observed to go 

 into a thicket on the other side of the river, I sent them 

 all across to try and drive them to the fords, at each 

 of which a gun was stationed, and I had hardly reached 

 one of the best, to the no small disgust of the man who 

 had already chosen it, and who naturally enough feared 

 that I should take most of the shooting, when a loud 

 shouting on the opposite bank was succeeded by the cry 

 of " Look out below," and in another second a herd of 

 buffalo, their heavy gallop sounding above the roar of the 

 river, came straight to the ford. The pass by which they 

 would be forced to ascend on our side was very narrow, 

 and from the height of the banks there was no other 

 mode of exit, so, saying to the hunter to let them get 

 through the deep water before we fired, so that they 

 should not turn back, I took out half a dozen cartridges 

 ready for use, and waited. They came into the water 

 with a rush, but the current was too strong and rapid 

 to be trifled with, and they soon steadied into a walk, 

 and after passing through the deepest part their chests 

 began to show above water. "Take the outside one on 

 your side, and I will on mine, aim low and don't waste 

 your second barrel — fire," and away went the bullets 

 across the water, his with a more deadly aim than mine, 

 for the one he fired at made a heavy plunge, and then 

 floated, kicking, down the stream, while mine, struck by 

 the ricochet, for I had aimed too low, reared up, and 

 bounding forward, came on with the rest. 



Before, however, it had done this, the sight of my gun 



