22 LARGE GAME. chap. i. 



water, and I going farther in. After about half an hour 

 had passed I heard him fire, and then his voice calling to 

 me to look out, and in a moment more I could tell by the 

 crashing and noise that a large herd was coming straight 

 towards me ; hardly an instant elapsed before I found 

 myself, having taken refuge in a thick tuft of reeds, com- 

 pletely surrounded by the galloping animals, which, on 

 both sides, almost touched me as they passed. Of course, 

 I fired right and left, and as soon as I could recover my 

 senses I shouted to those outside to be on the look- 

 out also. I had hardly reloaded before I heard a volley 

 and much shouting in the direction in which they had 

 gone, and on forcing my way through the reeds I found 

 three buffaloes standing in different parts of the open, 

 and one dead, while scattered about were a dozen or 

 more hunters busy loading, each, when he was ready, 

 firing at the wounded one nearest to him, until they 

 severally dropped, after receiving from six to ten shots 

 apiece, while the one I took in hand charged viciously at 

 every discharge, driving every one from the open, and 

 only fell after six bullets from me and at least an equal 

 number from the hunters. The next thing to do was to 

 go back on the spoor of the herd and see whether either 

 of the ones I had fired at had been left behind, but, though 

 plenty of blood besprinkled the reeds, they had been able 

 to keep with the rest. However, on returning outside, 

 the hunters one and all disclaimed having fired at the 

 heifer which had dropped dead, and, as there were fourteen 

 or fifteen of them, and only three other buffalo killed, it 

 said a good deal for their honesty ; and as on examination 

 only one wound was found, I concluded that she belonged 



