252 . THE TEEEIBLE, 



had discovered a herd of buffaloes, and had wounded 

 some, but they had escaped to cover. He had climbed on 

 the low boughs of a small wait-a-hit thorn, whence he 

 struck another bull The wounded animal " ran towards 

 the report, his ears outstretched, his eyes moving in all 

 directions, and his nose carried in a right line with the 

 head, evidently bent on revenge ; — he passed within thirty 

 yards of me, and was lost in the bush. Descending from 

 my frail perch, Frolic [the Hottentot attendant] again dis- 

 covered this buffalo standing amongst some small thick 

 bushes, which nearly hid him from view ; his head was 

 lowered, not a muscle of his body moved, and he was 

 without doubt listening intently. We crept noiselessly 

 to a bush, and I again fired. The huge brute ran for- 

 wards up the wind, fortunately not in our direction, and 

 stood still again. No good screen being near, and his 

 nose facing our way, prudence bade us w^ait patiently for 

 a change in the state of affairs. Presently he la}^ gently 

 down, and knowing that buffaloes are exceedingly cun- 

 ning, and will adopt this plan merely to escape notice and 

 entrap their persecutors, we drew near with great caution. 

 I again fired through his shoulder, and concluding from 

 his not attempting to rise, that he was helpless, we walked 

 close up to him ; and never can the scene which followed 

 be erased from my memory. Turning his ponderous 

 head round, his eye caught our figures ; I fired the second 

 barrel of my rifle behind his horns, but it did not reach 

 the brain. His wounds gave him some difficulty in getting 

 up, which just afforded Moneypenny and myself time to 



