THE INDIAN WILD BUFFALO. 45 



side waiting to see something when the bull poked his head out and 

 looked at me. I was afraid to fire, as his head was in a very awkward 

 position for the brain shot. While I was wishing myself well out of it, 

 he drew back his head and I then heard him galloping clean away. I 

 felt rather a fool. I tracked for five hom's more before I came up to him 

 in open tree jungle. When I fired he charged at an ant-hill and 

 began knocking it about with his horns, which enabled me to run up 

 close and kill him. The ant-hills made by the white ants stand several 

 feet high, and I suppose he thought it was his enemy. My old shots, 

 about half a dozen in number, were in his stern. This was a lesson to 

 me, which I afterwards profited by — not to fire unless you can hit a 

 vital spot. A wounded buffalo after a time gets very mad and goes for 

 any one as his wounds make him feverish and cross. The horns of this 

 one had long thin points as sharp as needles. The wounded man even- 

 tually recovered, but he could not open his hand, as the fingers were all 

 contracted. Another bull that some one else had previously wounded 

 gave me some trouble. The wound was close to the tail and was full 

 of maggots. Any buffalo with an old Avound unhealed in him is pretty 

 sure to charge. Mr. G. S. Chatterton, who was Superintendent of Police 

 in Chanda in 1886, was killed by a buffalo in that year. He had been 

 shooting with me in 1884, and was then using a Winchester repeating 

 rifle. I advised him to get a more powerful weapon, and when he 

 met his death he had a 10-bore. The story of his fate was told me by 

 Chief Constable Bajeerao who was with him at the time. He wound- 

 ed the buffalo one day and went out the next day after it. Several bad 

 omens (according to Bajeerao) occurred as they went along. First, a 

 snake crossed their path, then Chatterton's pony stumbled and fell as 

 they crossed a nullah, and one or two other events of evil import, which 

 I now forget, also happened. Bajeerao told me that at these different 

 warnings (as he considered them) he entreated Chatterton to go back. 

 However, they went on and came on the buffalo lying under a tree, and 

 they at first thought it was dead, but seeing it was alive, Chatterton 

 fired his 10-bore ; the buffalo charged and drove a horn right through 

 his chest. Death must have been immediate and painless. Throwing 

 him off his horn the buflPalo rushed at him again and ripped the arm. 

 Bajeerao fired and the buffalo at once charged him and "was killed with 

 a shot through the head at the last moment. Poor Bajeerao himself 



