Charge in High Reeds. 119 



had been a pool in the wet weather, but was now dried 

 up, and was nothing but a bed of sedges and high 

 rushes. I could see nothing of the bull, although I 

 knew he was in it. The hollow was in the centre of a 

 wide plain, so I knew that the buffalo could not have 

 passed out without my seeing him, and my gun-bearers 

 having come up, I made them pelt the rushes with 

 dried clods of earth. It was of no use : he would not 

 break cover ; so I determined to ride in and hunt him 

 up. The grass was so thick and entangled with the 

 rushes that my horse could with difficulty force his way 

 through it; and when within the dense mass of vegeta- 

 tion it towered high above my head, and was so thick 

 that I could not see a yard to my right or left. I beat 

 about to no purpose for about twenty minutes, and I 

 was on the point of giving it up when I suddenly saw 

 the tall reeds bow down just befoi'e me. I heard the 

 rush of an animal as he burst through, and I just saw 

 the broad black nose, quickly followed by the head and 

 horns, as the buffalo charged into me. The horse 

 reared to his full height as the horns almost touched 

 his chest, and I fired as well as I was able. In another 

 instant I was rolling on the ground, with my horse upon 

 me, in a cloud of smoke and confusion. 



In a most unsportsmanlike manner (as persons may 

 exclaim who were not there) I hid behind my horse, 

 as he regained his legs. All was still — the snorting of 

 the frightened horse was all that I could hear. I ex- 

 pected to have seen the infuriated buffalo among us. I 

 peeped over the horse's back, and, to my delight and 

 surprise, I saw the carcase of the bull lying within 

 three feet of him. His head was pierced by the ball 

 exactly between the horns, and death had been instan- 



