A TOUGH OLD BULL BUFFALO 77 



almost the same as a rhinoceros. A very large bull probably 

 the largest I ever shot measured, as he lay dead, 12 feet 

 to the root of the tail from the tip of the nose ; tail, 2\ 

 feet ; height, 6 feet 2 inches ! 



The thickest horns I ever got, either in Burma or Assam, 

 were from the very first buffalo I killed in Burma ; they were 

 not long, but each horn measured, round the greatest circum- 

 ference, 27 and 26J inches respectively. 



These brutes have given me more trouble to kill than any 

 other animal, and the fights I have had with them have been 

 innumerable. 



We were shooting once near Myetquin near Banlong; 

 Madden and Boyle of the 69th were with me. We had killed 

 a couple of gaur had padded the head of one, and were about 

 to commence operations on the second, when a herd of 

 buffaloes appeared. These were the first wild, ones we had 

 seen ; we chased them, but to no purpose, as they outran us, 

 so we returned to the dead gaur. We were a long way from 

 camp when I espied a huge solitary bull buffalo. He looked 

 at me, but went on feeding placidly. I beckoned to the others, 

 who had loitered behind, to hurry up, and when we got within 

 50 yards, we let fly. He was rather hard hit, but did not charge, 

 and whilst my comrades went in full chase I jumped off the 

 elephant under a tree to load. I had only muzzle-loaders in 

 those days, and it was drizzling. Before I had loaded and 

 remounted, I heard several shots, the trumpeting of elephants, 

 and a voice calling to me to come sharp, so I made my beast 

 go as fast as he could, and when I got near I found that the 

 buffalo had charged and knocked the legs from under Madden's 

 elephant, very nearly upsetting him, and had then charged 

 Boyle's, who however got away. Neither steed would budge 

 an inch towards him, and were restrained from running away 

 with difficulty. I followed, but I was on a very slow Hine 

 female, which, though steady enough, could not, or would not, 

 go faster than about three miles an hour. The bull did not 

 hurry himself, and when I got within 50 yards I opened fire 

 and let him have the contents of my battery, but he neither 

 took notice nor hurried his pace. I had to stop to load, for 

 I was on a pad, and when I was ready to proceed, the bull 

 had disappeared. I followed on his track, and soon saw his 



