Some dangers were just . . . distinct

From Once a Warrior King by David Donovan.  Page 240.  

I was worried about the local dogs. If one of those mutts started yapping at us, others would join in and the noise was sure to bring attention. The dogs might think nothing about other Vietnamese walking through the hamlet at night, but if they got wind of an American the howling wouldn’t stop until they had run us off. The potential threat from the water buffalo was even worse. If Abney or I got upwind of a water buffalo we were really in trouble. Groups of these beasts would herd up together at night and stand around sleeping in various parts of the hamlet. Vietnamese could walk past them all night long and they would never even flinch. Just let an American come within fifty yards, though, and the snorting, shuffling, and horn waving would begin. If one of us got too close, we were liable to get our butts run over or tossed into the next province.