90 SPORT, TRAVEL, AND ADVENTURE 



and neck of a large bull looking in our direction over 

 the tops of some matted grass about a hundred yards 

 away. No time was to be lost, so I fired quickly at 

 its neck. The welcome * klap * reached my ears, and 

 then the troop of seven, showing a phalanx of rugged 

 horns, rushed out across some open ground and headed 

 straight for the spot where we lay concealed. For a 

 moment I thought they intended a charge, but when 

 I fired at the broad chest of the leading bull they 

 swerved to the left, mowing their way through the long 

 grass. As they did so my quickfiring Mauser enabled 

 me to get in a couple of rather hurried shots before 

 they disappeared. On carefully following, we found 

 three distinct blood spoors. The one which showed 

 most blood led us through dense patches of lala palm- 

 trees and long grass, and at times waist-deep through 

 an evil -smelling, reedy swamp. As neither of our boys 

 would take the spoor over such dangerous ground, 

 we had to do it ourselves. In order as far as possible 

 to minimize the risk of a sudden and unexpected charge, 

 we advanced alternately along the spoor by a series 

 of short semicircular casts. Thus Prinsloo stood 

 stationary on the spoor, while I left it and made a 

 semicircular cast ahead through the reeds until I again 

 struck it, when I stood still and Prinsloo advanced in 

 similar manner. This method is useful in frustrating 

 the crafty and deadly intention of a wounded buffalo 

 that, coming back with a turn on its spoor, and taking 

 up a position in sight of it, silently waits for the 

 pursuer who follows in the belief that the game is stil 

 ahead. We thus advanced slowly when Jantje, wl 

 had climbed a palm-tree to our rear with the di 

 object of trying to locate the position of the buflfal 



