THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 509- 



fer to interfere ; on the contrary, he clapped his hands, 

 and cried, " Well done, Ammdnios," fwearing he never faw 

 fo equal a match in his life. The unfortunate Ammo- 

 nios had been driven from tree to tree, till he had got be- 

 hind one within a few yards of the water ; but the brufli- 

 wood upon the banks, and his attention to the bulTalo, 

 hindered him from feeing how far it was below him. No- 

 thing could be more ridiculous than to fee him holding" 

 the tree with both his hands, peeping firft one way, and 

 then another, to fee by which the beaft would turn. And 

 well he might be on his guard ; for the animal was abfo- 

 lutely mad, toffing up the ground with his feet both be- 

 fore and behind. " Sir, faid I, to Ayto Confu, this will be 

 but an ugly joke to-night, if we bring home that man's 

 corpfe, killed in the very midft of us, while we were 

 looking on." Saying this, I parted at a canter behind the 

 trees, crying to Ammonios to throw himfelf into the 

 water, when I fliould ftrike the bead; and feeing the 

 buiFulo's head turned from me, at full fpecd I ran the 

 fpc ar into the lower part of his belly, through his whole 

 inteftincs, till it came out above a foot on the other fide,, 

 and there-I left it, with a view to hinder the buffalo from 

 turning. It wj."^ a fpear \yhich,. though fmall in the head, 

 had a ftrong, tough, feafoned fliaft,. which did not break by 

 ftriking it againll the trees and bullies, and it pained and 

 impeded the animal's motions, till Ammonios quitting the 

 tree, dallied rhrou^^h the bufhes with feme difficulty, and 

 threw himfelf into the river. But here a danger occurred 

 that i had not forefecn. Ihe pool was voy deep, and 

 Amm Miios could not fwim ; fo that tliough he efcapcd 

 from the buffalo, he vv^ould uifailibly have been drowned, 

 J. lia^I 



