212 SPORT IN ASIA AND AFRICA 



but the continued firing could not be accounted 

 for in this way. Snatching up my '450, therefore, 

 I ran to investigate ; and, at the end of the strip 

 of sand, I saw the men peering with rather scared 

 faces into the jungle, and knew at once that they 

 must have found the buffalo. " Where is he ? " 

 I said, as I came up. Tagarru took one more 

 look, and said, " Coming/' and then bolted for the 

 river, and the buffalo burst from the jungle in a 

 determined charge. I was not more than 30 

 yards from the edge of the jungle and was standing 

 in the middle of the strip of sand right in his 

 track, and he headed straight for me. 



Saasita and the Askari ran with Tagarru to the 

 river-bank, and the Swahili gun-bearer bolted 

 past me, but at the time I was unable to take in 

 these details, as my attention was riveted on the 

 buffalo, who looked huge, and was charging at full 

 gallop. I was, however, prepared, and fired a 

 soft-nosed bullet at his head from the right barrel 

 of the '450 when he was about 25 yards from me. 

 His head was lowered to his chest, so that the 

 forehead was protected, but the bullet struck him 

 fair on the horny substance between the horns. 

 It produced, however, absolutely no effect, and he 

 did not even falter in his stride. 



I had read a story of a British officer who, with 

 his wife and a gun-bearer, was charged by a 

 buffalo somewhere in Africa. Turning to run, 

 one of them tripped and they all fell, and while 

 they were helpless on the ground the buffalo 

 charged over them and did not return. The story 

 suggested an idea ; and, as my days of running 

 and dodging were over, I had made up my mind 



