OXEN. 309 



for the horses, they agreed to leave them in charge of 

 the Hottentots, and advance on foot, thinking that if 

 any of the buffaloes should turn upon them, it would 

 be easy to escape by retreating across the quagmire, 

 which, though passable for man, would not support the 

 weight of a heavy quadruped. They advanced accord- 

 ingly, and, under a covert of the bushes, approached the 

 game with such advantage that the first volley brought 

 down three of the fattest of the herd, and so severely 

 wounded the great bull leader that he dropped on his 

 knees, bellowing furiously. Thinking him mortally 

 wounded, the foremost of the huntsmen issued from the 

 covert, and began reloading his musket as he advanced 

 to give him a finishing shot. But no sooner did the 

 infuriated animal see his foe in front of him, than he 

 sprang up and rushed headlong upon him. The man, 

 throwing down his heavy gun, fled towards the quag- 

 mire ; but the beast was so close upon him that he 

 despaired of escaping in that direction, and turning 

 suddenly round a clump of copsewood, began to climb 

 an old mimosa tree which stood at one side of it. The 

 raging beast, however, was too quick for him. Bound- 

 ing forward with a roar which my informant described 

 as being one of the most frightful sounds he ever 

 heard, he caught the unfortunate man with his terrible 

 horns just as he had nearly escaped his reach, and 

 tossed him into the air with such force that the body 

 fell, dreadfully mangled, into a cleft of the tree. The 

 buffalo ran round the tree once or twice, apparently 

 looking for the man, until, weakened with loss of 

 blood, he again sank on his knees. The rest of the 

 party, recovering from their confusion, then came up 

 and despatched him, though too late to save their 



