HIPPOPOTAMI AND BUFFALOES. 13'3 



mimosa. Dismounting from my horse, I took a coupla 

 of shots at the lion, missing him with my first, but 

 wounding him with my second shot, when he rose with 

 several angry short growls and bounded oflF. A few 

 hundred yards further on I found my wagons drawn 

 up, and on reaching them my men informed me that 

 they had just seen two huge hippopotami in the river 

 beneath. Proceeding to the spot, we found them still 

 swimming there. I shot one, putting three balls into 

 his' head, when he sank, but night setting in we lost 

 him. 



At dawn of day on the 12th a noise was heard for 

 about twenty minutes up the river, like the sound of 

 the sea, accompanied by the lowing of buffaloes. It 

 was a herd crossing the river. I rode thither to look 

 at them, and was retracing my steps to camp, when, 

 within three hundred yards of my wagons, I beheld an 

 old bull buffalo standing contemplating my camp, with 

 my followers looking at him in great consternation. 

 They set the dogs after him, when he took away up 

 the river. As the ground was extremely bad for rid- 

 ing, being full of deep holes, and all concealed with 

 long grass, it was some time before I could get away 

 after the dogs; and when I had ridden a short dis- 

 tance, I met them all returning, their feet being com- 

 pletely done up with the long march from the colony. 



I now turned my face once more for camp, when I 

 heard one of my dogs at bay behind me. Galloping up 

 to the spot, I found my dog " Lion" standing baiking 

 at an old water-buck in an open flat. The buck, on 

 observing me, made away for the river, and, joining a 

 herd of does, they dashed into the stream, and were 

 immediately upon the opposite bank. I was in a se- 

 questered bend of the river, where the banks for several 



