ADVENTURE WITH BUFFALO 89 



passed on entering the reeds. From this coign of 

 vantage I got a shot at the foremost of eight bulls 

 as they leisurely filed out from the far end of the 

 patch of reeds about two hundred yards away. The 

 bullet told loudly, and we at once followed in pursuit. 

 Fifteen minutes' run brought us to a donga full of 

 reeds, where the herd had sought cover. We had 

 advanced a few paces when I noticed that one of the 

 buffaloes had turned away at right angles to the direc- 

 tion taken by the troop. Rightly thinking that it 

 must be the wounded animal, I took the spoor. On 

 bending down to creep through a low opening amongst 

 the thick reeds, through which the buffalo had passed, 

 I saw several blotches of blood. Prinsloo, who was 

 close behind me, had just remarked, in Dutch, that if 

 the buffalo rounded on us we should be sure to be hurt, 

 when suddenly we heard a cracking and breaking of 

 reeds, and then a noise of falling earth and the splash 

 of water. It was evident that the buffalo had attempted 

 to climb the opposite bank of the donga, and had 

 slid back into the water. But we could see nothing. 

 Then there was another rush, and it became clear that 

 the second attempt to scale the bank had succeeded 

 and that the buffalo had got out. At that moment 

 the boys shouted that they could see the troop emerging 

 from the upper end of the donga. Fearing that if we 

 followed the wounded animal we should not be able 

 to come up with the herd again (I was excited, and 

 wished to secure more than one bull), we at once 

 clambered out and started in pursuit, intending to follow 

 the wounded animal later. After a quick run, Jantje, 

 who was leading, suddenly bobbed down in the grass. 

 I quickly and silently crept up to him, and saw the head 



