252 THE TEREIBLE. 



had discovered a herd of buffaloes, and had wounded 

 some, but they had escaped to cover. He had climbed on 

 the low boughs of a small wait-a-hit thorn, whence he 

 struck another bull. The wounded anhnal " ran towards 

 the report, his ears outstretched, his eyes moving in all 

 directions, and his nose carried in a right line with the 

 head, evidently bent on revenge ; — he passed within thirty 

 yards of me, and was lost in the bush. Descending from 

 my frail perch. Frolic [the Hottentot attendant] again dis- 

 covered this buffalo standing amongst some small thick 

 bushes, which nearly hid him from view ; his head was 

 lowered, not a muscle of his body moved, and he was 

 without doubt listening intently. We crept noiselessly 

 to a bush, and I again fired. The huge brute ran for- 

 wards up the wind, fortunately not in our direction, and 

 stood still again. No good screen being near, and his 

 nose facing our way, prudence bade us wait patiently for 

 a change in the state of affairs. Presently he lay gently 

 down, and knowing that buffaloes are exceedingly cun- 

 ning, and will ado]3t this plan merely to escape notice and 

 entrap their persecutors, we drew near with great caution. 

 I afjain fired throuoh his shoulder, and concluding from 

 his not attempting to rise, that he was helpless, we walked 

 close up to him ; and never can the scene which followed 

 be erased from my memory. Turning his ponderous 

 head round, his eye caught our figures ; I fired the second 

 barrel of my rifle behind his horns, but it did not reach 

 the brain. His wounds gave him some difficulty in getting 

 up, Vv^hich just afforded Moneypenny and myself time to 



