ADVENTURE WITH BUFFALO 103 



without first killing or seriously maiming their pursuers, 

 and are then shot by the farmer. The old males are 

 formidable antagonists, and many of our dogs bore 

 long and ugly scars, the result of former battles with 

 the baboon tribe. As no buffalo were thought to 

 be in the vicinity, and as it was an impossibility to 

 get the d,ogs away or to stop their furious barking, 

 permission had to be given to kill some of the baboons, 

 as the only way out of the difficulty. The hungry 

 dogs, having vented their rage on their fallen enemy, 

 did not at all disdain to make a meal of him. 



The tracker's opinion that no buffalo were near 

 proved false, for hardly had we taken up the spoor 

 again when it became evident that a herd had been 

 near when we unfortunately came upon the baboons. 

 The spoor became fresher and fresher as the animals 

 had moved rapidly away, but it was only after some 

 hours' walking at our best pace that one of the dogs 

 gave tongue. Away the whole pack rushed, and we 

 after it, running as hard as we could, up and down 

 hill, perspiring, stumbling, out of breath, out of temper 

 with the thorns, every now and then stopping to .listen 

 for a sound of the dogs, whose bark soon became 

 inaudible. The speed of so heavy a beast as the 

 buffalo when hunted is wonderful. His weight, of 

 course, breaks a way through everything, but the pace 

 with which he scrambles up almost perpendicular hills 

 is marvellous. Although full of hope that the dogs 

 would bring one to bay, we were, as usual, disappointed. 

 All sound was lost, and nothing remained but to follow 

 the largest spoor. As the dogs returned one by one the 

 chase had towards evening to be given up." 



