194 THROUGH GASA LAND. 



was searching the upper foliage, to find out. Sunday 

 and a Mantatee were at my side, the former carrying 

 my rifle, the latter my shot gun. A shout of warn- 

 ing was heard, and at the same moment I perceived 

 that the rest of my people were scattering and seek- 

 ing shelter in or behind the surrounding trees. In 

 a moment after I saw what resembled a tangled 

 bush moving towards me ; an instant after I recog- 

 nised this to be a buffalo, over whose head and 

 horns were suspended almost an armful of parasitic 

 plants. There was no time to be lost. In an 

 instant I had my rifle. No part of the brute pre- 

 sented itself for a fatal shot, for it carried its head 

 high, almost parallel with the surface of the ground, 

 so I let it have both barrels close to the bottom of 

 the windpipe. This momentarily dazed the beast, 

 but it continued the charge with only such deviation 

 as to pass us within a few yards. I had not time to 

 load, so seized the shot gun. I was not a moment too 

 soon, for round came the assailant, made an almost 

 imperceptible halt as if to assure itself of our posi- 

 tion, and again charged. When about fifteen yards 

 separated us, I gave it both barrels in the line of the 

 face. Again our foe swerved, and went off among 

 the trees, tail on end, finally cannoning against one, 

 then another, several times falling, ultimately being 

 brought up by direct collision with a large boom 

 slang tree. 



An instant after, all my attendants made their 



