58 LARGE GAME. CHAP. i. 



buffalo's evil genius made him come and stand directly 

 underneath me, I took advantage of the chance, and with 

 both hands and all my force drove one of the great spade- 

 like spears right down into his vitals. He made a short 

 rush, stood still, trembled, and then fell on his knees, on 

 seeing which we all ran up, and stabbed him again and 

 again as he attempted to regain his feet and bellowed 

 with ineffectual anger, until, after displaying that wonder- 

 ful tenacity of life which has been so often noticed, he 

 ceased to struggle. None of the dogs were hurt, and 

 except my left arm, which the weight of the brute had 

 made into a sort of jelly, I was none the worse of it. 



About two years afterwards I had a very similar 

 adventure with a bull, differing, however, on the latter 

 occasion, in my being alone, without dogs, and armed 

 with a gun. It occurred in the reeds at the Nkwavuma, 

 close to which stream my camp was at the time situated. 

 I had not, contrary to my usual custom, gone out before 

 dawn, but being knocked up and lame from two veiy hard 

 days I had had, I did not get up till after sunrise, and then, 

 lightly attired in a shirt and a pair of shoes, I went down 

 to the stream to bathe. In the uninhabited game dis- 

 tricts one rarely goes ten yards from camp without a 

 native attendant, generally a small boy who follows one 

 about and does any trifling services that may be required. 

 It is not a custom of European introduction, but performed 

 voluntarily by the natives, who are accustomed to pay 

 the same kind of respect to their chiefs, and treat their 

 temporary master as holding a similar position. Another 

 habit that becomes a second nature in such countries 

 is to take up one's gun even when merely going a few 



