THE AFRICAN BUFFALO. 



perfect accordance with its disposition. Its ferocity and speed 

 are such that the hunter is often obliged to run for his own 

 life, and the number of wounds it will receive without proving 

 immediately fatal, requires good marksmen and good weapons. 

 The Caffres, under the command of a chief or captain, are in 

 the frequent habit of setting out to attack the buffalo with 

 assaigais, or javelins, which they throw with great force. 

 When a herd (usually not above twelve) is discovered, the 

 hunters form a circle round the animals, and gradually approach 

 till sufficiently near to throw their assaigais with unerring aim, 

 and they are pretty sure to kill some. But sometimes the 

 buffaloes dash furiously through the circle, and kill some of 

 the Caffres. The Hottentots, in the service of the colonists, 

 attack the buffalo with much greater certainty, for they are 

 not only trained to the task, but provided with fire-arms 5 

 and (as Sparrman observes), owing to their skin cloaks, they 

 do not excite the animal's attention so much as the more 

 artifically attired Christians. They are always ready, when 

 occasion requires it, to go barefoot and softly crawl upon their 

 bellies to get within proper distance of the animal ; and should 

 the enraged buffalo give pursuit, the Hottentot can much easier 

 escape by his amazing swiftness of foot. 



It is related that a party of boors, having brought down three 

 of the fattest of a herd, and so severely wounded the great bull 

 leader that he dropped on his knees, bellowing with pain, the 

 foremost of the huntsmen, thinking the animal mortally wounded, 

 issued from the covert and began reloading his musket as he 

 advanced to give him a finishing shot : but as soon as the 

 buffalo saw his foe in front of him, he sprang up and rushed 

 headlong upon him. The man threw down his empty gun, 

 and fled towards the quagmire ; but the savage creature was 

 so close upon him, that he despaired of escaping in that 

 direction, and, turning suddenly round a clump of copsewood, 

 began to climb an old mimosa tree which stood at the one 

 side of it : but the buffalo, bounding forward and uttering 

 its usual and most frightful roar, caught the unfortunate man 



