A herd of about 400 to 500 buffalo appeared one morning at Nyamandhlovu waterhole. The noise and the dust they create is incredible. This is just the kind of scene I like to paint - light effects created by dust, so I now have many new painting ideas. Strangely enough the herd which had arrived at dawn returned at midday and then again at dusk. Maybe this had something to do with the fact that each time they visited the water a large number of the herd didn't drink. As with any herd this size, there were stragglers at the back, those struggling to keep up. One was a very small calf, stumbling along and looking at the ground. When it reached the water it didn't drink. It didn't look like it had much strength left. Ester and I were spending the next 11 hours at the waterhole so we were quite relieved to see the calf walk slowly off into the bush when the herd left - we didn't relish the prospect of a dying buffalo calf looking pitiful and staggering around in front of us for the rest of the day.