A Buffalo wounded by Lions 



it sprang. I then managed to dig out a large 

 root with my hunting-knife, planting it in due 

 course in a tin. I eventually brought it safely 

 to England, where it flourished exceedingly in a 

 moderately warm greenhouse, but I could never 

 get it to flower, which was disappointing. 



We left our boys to fix up camp on arrival at 

 the lagoon, taking only our gun-bearers with us. 

 Shortly we came to a small open oasis that may 

 have been one hundred and fifty acres in extent. 

 It was completely surrounded with the tall 

 reeds so common in this country. In the centre 

 of this place was a mound ; it could scarcely 

 be termed a hillock, for it was of no size. Close 

 to this I saw something black on the ground, 

 with some small birds alighting upon and around 

 this object. I said to Weddell, " Isn't that a 

 buffalo ? " ; but he seemed to think not, for he 

 said, " No, it is a log." After a look through my 

 glasses I could have sworn I saw an ear move, 

 so together we went out to investigate. We soon 

 discovered that this was a buffalo lying on his 

 side. Thinking that 'it may have been one we 

 had shot at some days since, we naturally thought 

 the beast was dead, and accordingly did not 

 take as much care and circumspection in approach- 

 ing what we thought was a carcass as we might 

 have done had we judged it to be alive. When 

 we had approached within one hundred yards 

 we saw that not only was it a buffalo bull, and 



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