Half an hour later the four of us who were armed with guns 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 at my side—­a post of honour which he had insisted upon taking.  To tell the truth, I did not dissuade him, for I thought that I should be safer so than if he were opposite to me, since, even if the old rifle did not go 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 them armed with stabbing spears—­we kept with us.

But what did these scoundrels do?  Instead of disturbing the herd by making a noise, as we told them, for some reason best known to themselves—­I expect it was because they were afraid to go into the vlei, where they might 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 swamp was a sheet of crackling flame that gave off clouds of dense white smoke.  Then pandemonium began.

The sleeping buffalo leapt to their feet, and, after a few moments of indecision, crashed towards us, the whole huge herd of them, snorting and bellowing like mad things.  Seeing what was about to happen, I nipped behind a big boulder, while Scowl shinned up a mimosa with the swiftness of a cat and, heedless of its thorns, sat himself in an eagle’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 excitement, jumped into the exact middle of the roadway, shouting: 

“They come!  They come!  Charge, 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 Umbezi’s invitation and came, with its nose stuck straight out in front of it.  Umbezi’s gun went off, and next instant he went up.  Through the smoke I saw his black bulk in the air, and then heard it alight 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 requiem let the bull which had hoisted him, as I thought 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 advertise my presence.