The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-05-17

rualiy In Africa In hunting the buffalo
than In the chase OF any other
species OF heavy game In regions
where large numbers of these splen-
did beasts Still wander in troops of
BOD. 100. and even more and where they
have been little disturbed. the hunter has
no great difficulty in shooting as many
a. he requires. In fairly open country,
where scattered cover exists, and where
they caa be readily approximation they
are by no means keen-sighted creatures
man may shoot buffaloes as easily, he
begins to think. as he can shoot oxen But
when buffalo 10 wounded and his blood
spoor has TO be taken up. and the hunter
has to follow him into the dense coverts
TO which he retreats, the business Is en-.
trefy changed Then you may prepare to
look out for yourself, TO take up your
heaviest and most reliable weapon and to
follow the track of your game with every
sense alert. ard your rife handy for an
instant ard most deadly charge.
You viii find, too, that the native
spoorer. who trotted IN front OF you readily
enough on the blood spoor OF elephant, and
even Hon. VIII now greatly prefer to follow
in your rear. and leave you to take upon
your own person the first and most danger
Gus risk in the dark and shadowy thickets
none better-the dark. murderous fury, and
the lurking. noiseless ways OF the beast Of
which You are in search. The buffalo.
when once he is wounded. seems, indeed,
to think Of little else than q bloody re-
venge. Unlike most other kinds OF game.
which. when wounded, will almost invari-
ably betAke themselves In flight as far from
the pursuer as possible. he usually retreats
some distance into the densest bush, and
either hides up in some dark corner where
the shadows are deep and dense, or. turn
ing upon his line, takes a parallel path
back. and 50 waits for his foe; or he will
even follow back upon his own spoor and
conceal himself. Sometimes he VIII stand,
lurking amid the dark thickets: at another
time. II badly wounded, he will lie down;
in either case prepared and determined 10
infiict bloody revenge for the hurts under
which he is smarting. Year after year
fatal accidents happen in South African
buffalo hunting; year after year men. II not
Killed outright. are terribly mauled; and.
until the buffalo is completely extermi-
mated, he will be found as savage and as
dangerous as the lion himself, and, withal.
lar more reyengeful.
cannot better illustrate the character OF
these plucky animals than by an adven-
ture narrated to me not long since In the
hunting veldt by Boer hunter from the
Transvaal He had been trekking with
some other compatriots far to the north
west OF Lake Ngami Flesh was badly
wanted IN camp. and as tsetse ny was
prevalent In the marshy country. north of
the Okavango river on which they were
outspanned. and the natives reported large
herds OF buffaloes. he left his horses be-
hind him. ferried across the river and
spent the next two days In hunting. He
had with him his own Hottentot servant,
good and reliable hunter and fair shot.
and he had as well several natives OF the
district, who were anxious for meat, and
ready to show him the game
On the first day the Dutchman came
across some fifty bufYaioes grazing In
fairly open veidt. Getting behind some
convenient covert, and with the wind I'm
the right direction, he had little difficulty
in shooting two fat cows and young hull
The COWS were quite easily secured: bu,
the bull. although shot through the lungs.
jumped on his legs from some long grass