cii. VI] A WOUNDED BUFFALO 135 



open, and then the big bull 1 had first shot, and which 

 had no other bullet in him, dropped dead, while the 

 other three, all of which were wounded, halted beside 

 him. AVe walked toward them, rather expecting a 

 charge ; but when we were still over two hundred yards 

 away they started back for the swamp, and we began 

 firing. The distance being long, I used my AVinchester. 

 I aimed well before one bull, and he dropped to the shot 

 as if poleaxed, falling straight on his back with his legs 

 kicking ; but in a moment he was up again and after the 

 others. Later I found that the bullet, a full-metal 

 patch, had struck him in the head, but did not penetrate 

 to the brain, and merely stunned him for the moment. 

 All the time we kept running diagonally to their line of 

 flight. They were all three badly woimded, and when 

 they reached the tall rank grass, high as a man's head' 

 which fringed the papyrus swamp, the two foremost lay 

 down, while the last one, the one I had floored with the 

 Winchester, turned, and with nose outstretched began 

 to come toward us. He was badly crippled, however, 

 and with a soft-nosed bullet from my heavy Holland 1 

 knocked him down, this time for good. Tlie other two 

 then rose, and though each was again hit, they reached 

 the swamp, one of them to our right, the other to the 

 left, where the papyrus came out in a point. 



We decided to go after the latter, and, advancing very 

 cautiously toward the edge of the swamp, put in the 

 three big dogs. A moment after they gave tongue 

 within the papyrus ; then we heard the savage grunt of 

 the buffiilo, and saw its form just within the reeds ; and 

 as the rifles cracked, down it went. But it was not 

 dead, for we heard it grunt savagely, and the dogs 

 bayed as loudly as ever. Heatley now mounted his 

 trained shooting-pony and rode toward the place, while 



