78 EXCITING CHASE. 



to bide my time and get a good bull. The leaders of 

 tbe herd were now passing on either side of me, and 

 when about twenty had gone by, some of them 

 evidently winded me, for they stopped short and 

 sniffed the air. (This was pointed out by Molo- 

 ka.) I now perceived I was discovered ; for the 

 whole herd had come to a standstill. I knew there 

 was not a moment to lose, so taking the nearest bull 

 (though by no means the finest), which was about 

 twenty yards to my left front, and among the centre 

 squadrons of the herd, I let drive at his shoulder, 

 first one barrel, and then the other. 



The herd, thunderstruck by such an unearthly 

 noise as the gumtickler created in their very centre, 

 when nine drachms of Curtis and Harvey burst from 

 each of the barrels, now divided into two lots and 

 fled. Seizing the breechloader, I gave chase to those 

 among which the wounded bull had taken his de- 

 parture, and was following them at a brisk pace, and 

 just able to keep them in sight, when the bull lagged 

 behind the rest, then pulled up short, and when I 

 had run to within ten yards of him, fell dead. I was 

 now about one mile and a quarter from where the 

 attack commenced, and knowing that the buffaloes 

 would soon pull up, I did not even stop to look at 

 the bull, but continued the chase. In the next fifty 

 yards their pace slackened considerably, and putting 

 on a spurt, I got to within some fifty yards of them 

 just as they stopped. I then lay down flat by a 

 small tuft of grass, as there was scarcely any under- 

 cover. As they turned round to look with uplifted 

 noses, I saw a magnificent bull in the very midst of 



