THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 319 



production, while game is found in great abundance. As they 

 arrived at a village on the river bank? several of the inhabitants 

 came out and entreated'Livingstone to attack a herd of buffaloes 

 that were then feeding in the village garden, and so tame were 

 the animals that he was able to come within six yards of them. 

 His arm was so badly disabled by the lion bite already described, 

 that he could shoot only with the greatest effort and uncertainty, 

 which made him a very inferior shot. Presently he saw a large 

 buffalo running directly toward him, evidently with hostile inten- 

 tions. He glanced around, but the only tree on the plain was a 

 hundred yards off, and there was no escape elsewhere. He 

 therefore cocked his rifle, with the intention of giving the buffalo 

 a steady shot in the forehead when he should come within three 

 or four yards. The thought flashed across his mind, " What if 

 your gun misses fire?" He placed it to his shoulder as the brute 

 came on at full speed, and that is tremendous, though generally 

 he is a lumbering-looking animal in his paces. A small bush and 

 bunch of grass fifteen yards off made him swerve a little and 

 expose his shoulder. Livingstone fired, and heard the ball strike, 

 at the same time falling flat on his face. The pain must have 

 made the buffalo renounce his purpose, for he bounded close past 

 and on to the water, where he was found dead, 



CAPSIZED BY A HIPPOPOTAMUS. 



UPON reaching Libonta, in the Makololo country, and the 

 neighboring villages, Livingstone was received with manifesta- 

 tions of much joy by the simple-hearted natives. There were 

 some awkward scenes at this reception, however; several of the 

 Makololos who had left their wives to accompany him to Loanda, 

 upon returning now found them remarried, and not a few had 

 children to show by their new husbands. But as polygamy is 

 almost universally practiced among all African tribes, their feel- 

 ings are naturally blunted in regard to such things, and they are 

 but little thought of. 



Livingstone left Naliele on the 13th of August, and while pro- 

 ceeding along the shore at midday a hippopotamus struck the canoe 

 with her forehead, lifting one-half of it quite out of the water, 



