464 BUFFALOES PROOF AGAINST BULLETS. 



mediately to a stand, and, facing round, they confronted us 

 in one dark mass. Taking advantage of a tree at some little 

 distance ahead, I stalked to within about one hundred and 

 fifty paces of this formidable phalanx. Resting the gun on 

 a branch, I took a steady aim at the leading bull ; but, 

 though I very distinctly heard the bullet strike him, he did 

 not flinch in the slightest degree. 



One of the natives having by this time mustered courage 

 to steal up to me with my rifle, I fired a second time, though 

 at another of the herd, but with no better result. Six sev- 

 eral times, at the least, did I repeat the dose, and though on 

 each occasion the ball told loudly on the animal's body, 

 neither it nor any one of the herd (strange as it may appear) 

 budged an inch ! They seemed to be chained to the spot by 

 ^Aome invisible power, eyeing me all the while with an omin- 

 ous and sinister look. Their strange and unaccountable bear- 

 ing puzzled me beyond measure. I expected every instant 

 to see them charge down upon me. But, even had this hap- 

 pened — though I am free to confess I felt any thing but com- 

 fortable — my personal safety would not, perhaps, have been 

 much endangered, as by ascending the tree against which J 

 was leaning I should have been out of harm's way. How- 

 ever, I was not driven to this extremity ; for, while about to 

 ram down another ball, the whole herd suddenly wheeled 

 about, and, v/ith a peculiar shrieking noise, tails switching to 

 and fro over their backs, and heads lowered almost to the 

 ground, they made off at a furious pace. 



On proceeding to the spot where the buffaloes had been 

 standing, I observed large patches of blood on the ground, 

 and felt convinced that both the animals at which I had fired 

 must have been severely, if not mortally wounded. We fol- 

 lowed their tracks for a considerable distance, but saw no 

 more of them. From information received from the Bush- 

 men at a subsequent period, however, there is little doubt that 

 both perished. 



