THE BUFFALO. gi 



Probably the shock to the nervous system caused by the first wounds prevents the subsequent 

 injuries from being so keenly felt. 



I measured the bull carefully, and found that the dimensions were as follows : — 

 Height ... ... ... 5 feet, or i s hands. 



Length from nose to root of tail ... • • ■ 9 ,. 7 inches. 



Length of tail ... ... ... 3 „ n „ 



Girth ... ... ... 8 „ 3 „ 



Girth of forearm ... ... . . . 1 foot 8 „ 



Length of horns from tip to tip along curve ... 8 feet 3 „ 

 The following day we had only proceeded about a couple of miles from camp, when, on 

 commencing to beat a grass jungle, I knocked over a Hog Deer. As we were padding it 

 there was a great commotion among the Elephants at some little distance from us, and we 

 were at first unable to discover the cause of the evident consternation, both among Elephants 

 and Mahouts. On hurrying to the spot, however, with more expectation of finding a Tiger 

 than anything else, we came upon a bull Buffalo, which had charged one of the Elephants 

 without any provocation. Seeing us coming he made off, and I only got three long shots, 

 two of which hit him, drawing blood pretty freely. Following him up we came to one of the 

 thickest reed jungles I ever saw, in which tracking was quite out of the question, so we 

 ordered the line of Elephants to beat through it, while we went to the far end. I will not now 

 describe the beat, which led to the death of one Rhinoceros, and to at least one other being 

 wounded, but will only narrate our experiences with the Buffaloes. 



I was following up a wounded Rhinoceros through a tangled thicket of the highest reeds, 

 where the grass was far above my head as I stood in the howdah, and I had frequently to 

 cross my arms in front of my face as we forced our way through the thickest part. Sud- 

 denly there was a savage grunt just in front of me ; the Mahout in his terror shouted to me to 

 look out ; and a huge bull Buffalo, carrying half a cartload of reeds on his horns, sprang at 

 my Elephant with the agility of a goat. I could not see to shoot for a second or two, and my 

 Elephant, although usually staunch, swung half round, and in another moment the bull was 

 alongside, endeavouring to gore him. Holding on to the rail of the howdah with one hand, 

 I fired my heavy 12-bore rifle, pistol fashion, into the Buffalo's back, the muzzle not being a 

 foot from him. This somewhat astonished him, and caused him to turn tail and retreat into 

 the reeds. 



We had by this time approached the confines of the covert, which here ran out into a 

 narrow tongue ; so getting the Elephants near me into compact formation, I proceeded to 

 beat steadily onwards. 



We were not above eighty yards from the end of the belt of reeds, when I heard the 

 bull close in front of me, so, in order to obtain a clear shot, I went outside the covert. 

 In another moment, however, there- was a rush, and the bull, instead of facing the open, 

 dashed back through the line of beaters, severely injuring one of the Elephants in his charge. 

 On the opposite side of the tongue of jungle he encountered S. (one of my companions) 

 and at once went straight at him. S. however was equal to the occasion, and having a clear 



