228 



THE OX. 



sounds he ever heard, he caught the unfortunate man with 

 his horns, just as he had nearly escaped his reach, and tossed 

 him in the air with such force, that the body fell, dreadfully 

 mangled, into a lofty cleft of the tree. The Buffalo ran 

 round the tree once or twice, apparently looking for the man, 

 until, weakened with loss of blood, he again sunk on his knees. 

 The rest of the party then, recovering from their confusion, 

 came up and despatched him, though too late to save their 

 comrade, whose body was hanging in the tree quite dead." * 



These animals, fierce and cruel as they seem, do not cer- 

 tainly seek occasions for attacking even their deadliest enemy, 

 Man. Although in herds of great numbers together, and 

 when they could beat their pursuers to the dust, like reeds, 

 they invariably seek to save themselves by retreating to the 

 nearest thickets. The females exhibit the warm attachment 

 to their offspring which is characteristic of the whole Buba- 

 line race, and which a beneficent Providence has imprinted 

 in the bosoms of the rudest creatures. It is for the safety of 

 the young and females, that the bulls seem to act as the 

 guardians of the herd. At the season, too, of sexual desire, 

 numbers of the bulls being expelled by their fellows from the 

 community, wander about for a season with excited passions, 

 and then manifest that ferocity which has been witnessed. 



The chase of these animals in the forests of tangled brush- 

 wood which they frequent, is attended with much danger. 

 Their strong hides resist the rifle ball like a target, and 

 common balls of lead are flattened when they strike their 

 bones. For this reason, the balls employed are of great 

 weight, and alloyed with tin, and even then they are some- 

 times shattered, as if they had struck a wall of steel. The 

 Hottentots are extremely dexterous in this dangerous chase, 

 crawling on their bellies until they reach their victims, 

 and using, instead of their ancient weapons, the rifles and 

 long muskets with which their rude masters have supplied 



* Penny Magazine, 1832. 



