Chapter VIII

EXTINCTION AND DIMINUTION OF GAME IN SOUTH AFRICA--NOTES ON THE CAPE
BUFFALO

Extinction of the blaauwbok and the true quagga--Threatened
extermination of the black and white rhinoceros and the buffalo
in South Africa--Former abundance of game--Scene in the valley
of Dett witnessed by the author in 1873--Buffaloes protected
by the Cape Government--But few survivors in other parts of
South Africa--Abundance of buffaloes in former times--Extent of
their range--Still plentiful in places up to 1896--The terrible
epidemic of rinderpest--Character of the African buffalo--A
matter of individual experience--Comparison of buffalo with the
lion and elephant--Danger of following wounded buffaloes into
thick cover--Personal experiences--Well-known sportsman killed
by a buffalo--Usual action of buffaloes when wounded--Difficult
to stop when actually charging--The moaning bellow of a dying
buffalo--Probable reasons for some apparently unprovoked attacks
by buffaloes--Speed of buffaloes--Colour, texture, and abundance
of coat at different ages--Abundance of buffaloes along the Chobi
river--Demeanour of old buffalo bulls--"God's cattle"--Elephants
waiting for a herd of buffaloes to leave a pool of water before
themselves coming down to drink Pages 130-148