160 
THE NEW AFRICA 
Much discouraged, I went on several miles up the river, 
hoping to get beyond the sphere of the wild dogs, and at last 
came on the track of a single old buffalo bull which I followed 
into a dense thicket, and was just on the point of giving up 
the track owing to the danger of going in pursuit of such game 
into thick places, when I heard a scraping and stamping, about 
a hundred yards off This commotion led me to believe that 
the bull was venting his superfluous spleen, as single old buffalo 
often do when driven out of a herd, by rampaging about in the 
bush, goring at trees and pawing the earth. Throwing myself 
on hands and knees to be unobserved, I brought all my bush- 
craft to bear on a scientific and careful stalk, pushing the twigs 
and leaves aside before leaning my weight on the spot thus 
covered, so as to make as little noise as possible. The buffalo 
seemed to be quite unaware of any danger as I came nearer, and 
at last I could see the base of his grizzly-looking horn as he 
pounded up and down. It was not a clear shot, and I desisted 
from shooting several times while taking sight for a spot below 
the horn where the brain should be, but somehow failed to 
pull, as the good old rule occurred to me never to fire until 
quite sure of your shot. At last I decided to crawl a little 
on one side to get a better view, and then saw to my utter 
horror, that what I had been watching as the horn of a buffalo 
bull was the grizzly head of an old native woman digging edible 
roots with a hoe in the bush. I fairly shook with terror 
at the certain consequences of the shot had I fired when 
sighting, and thanked Providence for staying my finger from 
pulling the trigger. Imagine the horror one would experience 
at finding the gory corpse of an old woman shot inopportunely 
in the forest; for there is no doubt that the bullet would have 
broken her neck fired the way I was aiming. If anything 
could have haunted me in after life the sight of that corpse 
would have done so. Even as I write a cold shudder runs 
through me at the recollection. 
The old woman collapsed in sheer fright at seeing me, and 
although I spoke kindly to her, my sudden appearance as I rose 
