200 
EAST AFRICA AND ITS BIG GAME. 
some buffalo he was after, and lie wanted to know if 
we could not come to some arrangement which would 
avoid any such clashing for the future. Of course, 
we were extremely sorry for the misadventure, and 
recognising his prior right to the shooting, in that 
district, wrote back word that we would strike our 
tents next day. 
Accordingly the following morning we moved 
back to our last camp, which was quite clear of 
Jackson’s beat. The others tried to shoot on the 
way, but as I was anxious to peg out my lion-skin 
as soon as I could, I marched with the caravan, 
and by so doing had a great piece of luck. Having- 
reached the junction of the Weri-weri and Kikavo 
rivers, I warned Martin I was going on ahead on the 
chance of getting a water-buck, and I had scarcely 
proceeded a hundred yards when I discovered a small 
herd of buffalo in a distant piece of bush. Of course, 
I began to stalk them, but before I had approached 
to within eighty yards, a splendid rhino cow crossed 
the line. Thinking this was clearly “a bird in 
hand,” for which I might well forsake “the birds in 
the bush,” I sent a bullet clean through the heart, and 
she fell dead. 
The buffalo, strange to say, on hearing the rifle- 
report, and not knowing exactly where it came from, 
came charging down in a body straight on me instead 
of making off. I jumped to one side and got behind 
a small tree, and as they passed exactly over the 
ground on which I had been standing but a second 
