Part 6 (1/2)
To tell the truth, I was very glad that our trip had coh I would not adet rid of a kind of sneaking dread lest after all there reeable adventure with a buffalo which was in store for me Well, as it chanced, we had not soto take back to the kraal ran over high, bare country that these animals did not frequent, there was now little prospect of our doing so--all of which, of course, shohat I already knew, that only weak-headed superstitious idiots would put the slightest faith in the drivelling nonsense of deceiving or self-deceived Kafir s, indeed, I pointed out with ht of the hunt
Saduko listened in silence and said nothing at all, except that he would not keep er, as I must be tired
Nohatever may be the reason for it,about anything At any rate, on a hunting trip, to come to a particular instance, wait until you are safe at hoe I was now destined to experience a particularly fine and concrete example
The place where we had careat extent of dry reeds, that in the wet season was doubtless a swamp fed by a small river which ran into it on the side opposite to our ca beastsin these reeds; but as no further sounds reached ain
Shortly after daakened by a voice calling nised as that of Umbezi
”Macumazahn,” said the voice in a hoarse whisper, ”the reeds below us are full of buffalo Get up Get up at once”
”What for?” I answered ”If the buffalo cao out of them We do not want meat”
”No, Macu, has de oxen that I can ill spare I have not the skins whereof to make them Now, these buffalo are in a trap This swaet out at the sides of the dish, and the mouth by which they came in is very narrow If we station ourselves at either side of it we can kill hly awake and had arisen fro a kaross over hs, in which I was sleeping and walked a few paces to the crest of a rocky ridge, whence I could see the dry vlei below Here the runts, bellows and tras which I, an old hunter, could not mistake Evidently a herd of buffalo, one or two hundred of them, had established themselves in those reeds
Just then my bastard servant, Scowl, and Saduko joined us, both of them full of excitement
It appeared that Scoho never seemed to sleep at any natural ti the reeds, and estimated their number at two or three hundred Saduko had exah which they passed, and reported it to be so narrow that we could kill any number of them as they rushed out to escape
”Quite so I understand,” I said ”Well, my opinion is that we had better let theuns, and assegais are not of o, I say”
U of a cheap raw material for the shi+elds which had been requisitioned by the King, ould surely be pleased if they were h hide as that of buffalo, protested violently, and Saduko, either to please one whoht be his father-in-law or from sheer love of sport, for which he always had a positive passion, backed him up Only Scohose dash of Hottentot bloodout that ere very short of powder and that buffalo ”ate up much lead” At last Saduko said:
”The lord Macuh it is a pity But doubtless the prophesying of Zikali weighs upon histo be done”
”Zikali!” exclaimed Umbezi ”What has the old dwarf to do with this matter?”
”Never mind what he has or has not to do with it,” I broke in, for although I do not think that he meant them as a taunt, butme to the quick, especially as ether without foundation
”We will try to kill soh, unless the herd should get bogged, which is not likely, as the swamp is very dry, I do not think that we can hope for ht or ten at the most, which won't be of much use for shi+elds Come, let us make a plan We have no tiain before the sun is well up”
Half an hour later the four of us ere aruns were posted behind rocks on either side of the steep, natural roadway cut by water, which led down to the vlei, and with us some of Umbezi's men That chief himself was atTo tell the truth, I did not dissuade hiht that I should be safer so than if he were opposite to o off of its own accord, Umbezi, when excited, was a most uncertain shot The herd of buffalo appeared to have lain down in the reeds, so, being careful to post ourselves first, we sent three of the native bearers to the farther side of the vlei, with instructions to rouse the beasts by shouting The remainder of the Zulus--there were ten or a dozen of the spears--we kept with us
But what did these scoundrels do? Instead of disturbing the herd bya noise, as we told them, for some reason best known to theo into the vlei, where they ht meet the horn of a buffalo at any moment--they fired the dry reeds in three or four places at once, and this, if you please, with a strong wind blowing from them to us In a minute or two the farther side of the sas a sheet of crackling flaave off clouds of dense white s buffalo leapt to their feet, and, after a few e herd of the as about to happen, I nipped behind a big boulder, while Scowl shi+nned up a mimosa with the swiftness of a cat and, heedless of its thorns, sat hile's nest at the top The Zulus with the spears bolted to take cover where they could What became of Saduko I did not see, but old Umbezi, bewildered with excite:
”They coe, buffalo folk, if you will The Eater-up-of-Elephants awaits you!”
”You etceterad old fool!” I shouted, but got no farther, for just at this moment the first of the buffalo, which I could see was an enormous bull, probably the leader of the herd, accepted Uht out in front of it Uh the sht with a thud on the top of the rock behind which I was crouching
”Exit Umbezi,” I said to myself, and by way of a requieht to heaven, have an ounce of lead in the ribs as it passed me After that I did not fire any more, for it occurred to me that it was as well not to further advertiseexperience I cannot reht as that which followed Out of the vlei rushed the buffalo by dozens, every one of thee as it came They jammed in the narrow roadway, they leapt on to each other's backs They squealed, they kicked, they bellowed They charged my friendly rock till I felt it shake They knocked over Scowl's le's nest had not its flat top fortunately caught in that of another and less accessible tree And with the reed and puffs of hot air
It was over at last With the exception of some calves, which had been traone Now, like the Roan to wonder what had becoions