VIII CHARGED BY A BUFFALO 149 



time seeing me at once charged, with eyes on fire, 

 and her nose stretched straight out, grunting furiously. 

 Luckily she was not standing head on, but broadside 

 to me, and so could not come straight at me, but had 

 first to turn round the bush. This gave me time to 

 spring through the bushes to one side, as she rushed 

 past, when she immediately made at the Bushman, 

 who, springing into a small sapling, just swung his 

 body up out of reach as she passed beneath. So 

 close was she, that, as the calabash full of water, 

 which he had been carrying slung on an assegai, fell 

 to the ground behind him, she smashed it to atoms, 

 either with her feet or horns, just as, if not before, 

 it touched the ground. After this she turned and 

 stood under the very slender tree on which the 

 Bushman hung, looking up at him, and grunting 

 furiously, but not attempting to butt the tree down, 

 which I think she could have accomplished had she 

 but tried. At this instant the Kafir who carried my 

 ten-bore rifle, reaching the scene of action unperceived 

 by the buffalo, fired at and missed her, on which she 

 again retreated behind the bush from whence she had 

 first charged. By this time, however, I had my second 

 elephant gun in my hands, and creeping up gave her 

 another bullet on the point of the shoulder, just as she 

 caught sight of me and was again turning to charge. 

 On receiving this second ball, she fell to the ground, 

 and, snatching up an assegai and followed by several 

 of the Kafirs, we ran in and despatched her before 

 she could rise. She proved to be a dry cow in 

 splendid condition. The sun was now down, so 

 we lost no time in cutting up the meat and starting 

 for camp, which, after an awkward walk in the dark 

 through the thick thorny bush, we at last reached. 

 On my arrival, I found that Mr. Garden, who, like 



