CHAPTER II. 

 MY FIVE BUFFALOES. 



OUR hunting headquarters were at Jozanns Kraal, 

 situated at the foot of the western slope of the Libombo 

 range of mountains. 



There we left our waggons and oxen and engaged our 

 carriers. In those days the natives did not understand 

 the use of money, and as many carriers could be obtained 

 as one wished for a payment of one cotton blanket each, 

 value four shillings. The condition was that they were 

 to work until we had completely loaded the waggons with 

 dry game hides, for in this manner we used to make our 

 sport pay its own expenses. 



Now to load four buck-waggons, each drawn by 

 eighteen oxen, with as great a weight of hides as they 

 could carry, was no small undertaking, and we con- 

 sidered ourselves fortunate if we could effect this in two 

 months. It depended very much on our success in 

 quickly finding the great troops of buffaloes, breaking 

 them up into many small troops and then making our 

 bag. 



The time question was therefore an indefinite one, but 

 what Amaswazi Caffre reckoned by time ? Time was a 

 disagreeable factor ; it was too logical, too exact for his 

 mind, and he took no more account of moons than we 

 do of days. Besides this, hunting and devouring beef 



were in themselves pleasures second only in exquisite 



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