92 SPORT, TRAVEL, AND ADVENTURE 



I was in the act of descending the bank when 

 Prinsloo, who was lower down the slope than I was, 

 saw the dark outline of the buffalo standing at bay 

 behind the screen of reeds. Next instant, seeing it 

 about to charge, he shouted, ' Daar kom hiji! ' (' There 

 he comes ! ') and fired, rather at random, I am afraid ; 

 then, rushing down the path by which we advanced, 

 he threw himself headlong into the reeds on the left. 

 This all happened in a few moments, but I had sufficient 

 time to raise my rifle to my shoulder and fire as the 

 enraged bull rushed straight at me through the reeds, 

 with nose thrown forward and horns back. As I fired 

 I endeavoured to jump aside to escape the charge, but 

 my feet got entangled in the matted grass and I fell 

 on my back, luckily, however, retaining my hold on 

 the stock of my rifle. My first shot seemed to check 

 him for a moment, but the next he was rushing up 

 the slope at me. I shall never forget the look in his 

 fierce eyes. It was but a moment's work to draw 

 back the bolt of my Mauser and to close it again, thus 

 pushing another cartridge into the breech. I had no 

 time to raise the rifle to my shoulder ; there was barely 

 time, just before he was within striking distance, to 

 pull the trigger, with the stock under my armpit, 

 while I lay on my back on the top of the sloping 

 ground. Without so much as a groan he fell in his 

 tracks and rolled over into the muddy water two 

 yards below, with a great splash, shot through the 

 brain. 



With a shout I announced my success, and Prinsloo 

 appeared on the scene ; but it was only after repeated 

 assurances that the buffalo was quite dead that the 

 boys would venture to descend into the donga. Sending 



