114 The Rifle and Hound i?i Ceylon. 



light double-gun loaded, and the buffalo was evidently 

 prepared to charge in a few seconds. 



To my great satisfaction, I saw the bloody foam 

 gathering upon his lips, and I knew that he was struck 

 through the lungs ; but, nevertheless, the distance was 

 so short between us that he could reach me in two or 

 three bounds. Keeping my Moorman with the light 

 gun close to me in readiness, I began to load my two 

 big rifles. In the mean time the bull was advancing 

 step by step with an expression of determined malice, 

 and my Cingalese servant, in an abject state of fright, 

 was imploring me to run — simply as an excuse for his 

 own flight. " Buffalo's coming, sar ! Master, run 

 plenty, quick ! Buffalo's coming, sar ! Master, get big 

 tree !" I could not turn to silence the fellow, but 1 

 caught him a fine backward kick upon the shins with 

 my heel, which stopped him, and in a few seconds I 

 was loaded and the four-ounce was in my hand. The 

 bull, at this time, was not fifteen yards from me ; but, 

 just as I was going to fire, I saw him reel to one side ; 

 and in another moment he rolled upon his back, a 

 dead buffalo, although I had not fired after my first 

 shot. The ball, having entered his chest, was sticking 

 in the skin of his haunch, having passed through his 

 lungs. His wonderful pluck had kept him upon his 

 legs until life was extinct. 



I am almost tired of recounting so many instances of 

 the courage of these beasts. When I look back to 

 those scenes, so many ghosts of victims rise up before 

 me that, were I to relate one-half their histories, it 

 would fill a volume. The object in describing these 

 encounters is to show the style of animal that the 

 buffalo is in his natural state. I could relate a hundred 



