AN EXPLORATION IN THE EAR EAST. 405 



the sunlight conspicuous above them all, and was just ranging 

 alongside to fire when a tremendous bound of my little nag 

 nearly unseated me, and we just escaped the long pointed 

 horns of a lean brute of a cow that shot past my quarter, and 

 then pulled up beyond me, shaking her head and looking very 

 wicked indeed. I sheered off, and let her proceed to rejoin 

 the herd, giving her a broadside of two barrels as she passed, 

 which was followed by another end-on charge for several 

 hundred yards. Eventually she went off again towards the 

 retreating herd ; but, though the ground had now become very 

 bad, cut up in all directions by deep rifts in the black soil and 

 pitted by the old footmarks of the buffaloes, I was not going 

 to decline the challenge of this fighting cow. So after reload- 

 ing my breech-loader, which was a very light snipe gun 

 pressed into ball service, and wholly unfit for this sort of 

 work, I cantered after her, and, when within distance, made a 

 rush past, intending to fire into her at close quarters. But 

 she was too quick for me, and we almost met, my gun going 

 off, I believe harmlessly, in her face. I had another narrow 

 shave as she again charged me, the little horse stumbling 

 heavily several times in the frightful ground. Again she 

 sheered off, and once again I rode up, though not so close as 

 before, and gave her both barrels, holding the gun out like a 

 pistol. She felt these, and, though shaking her head in a 

 threatening manner, did not charge again. She now held on 

 slowly behind the herd ; and as I felt I could not kill her with 

 this weapon, I waited behind, hoping she would lie down and 

 the heavy rifles come up. Presently she slackened her pace to 

 a walk, and I watched her from behind a bush. Peering 

 cautiously all round, she went on a little further, and then, 

 after standing about five minutes' watching, lay down in the 

 long grass. I marked the spot carefully, as I thought, by a 



