WOUNDED BUFFALO ASSISTED. 341 



that, as water boiled at 202°, our altitude above the level 

 of the sea was over 5000 feet. 



We met an elephant on the Kalomo which had no tusks 

 This is as rare a thing in Africa as it is to find them with 

 tusks in Ceylon. As soon as she saw us she made off. It 

 is remarkable to see the fear of man operating even on this 

 huge beast. Buffaloes abound, and we see large herds of 

 them feeding in all directions by day. When much dis- 

 tuibed by man, they retire into the densest parts of the 

 forest and feed by night only. We secured a fine large 

 bull by crawling close to a herd. When shot, he fell down, 

 and the rest, not seeing their enemy, gazed about, wonder- 

 ing where the danger lay. The others came back to it, 

 and, when we showed ourselves, much to the amusement 

 of my companions, they lifted him up with their horns, 

 and, half supporting him in the crowd, bore him away. 

 All these wild animals usually gore a wounded companion 

 and expel him from the herd; even zebras bite and kick 

 an unfortunate or a diseased one. It is intended by this 

 instinct that none but the perfect and healthy ones should 

 propagate the species. In this case they manifested their 

 usual propensity to gore the wounded ; but our appearance 

 at that moment caused them to take flight, and this, with 

 the goring being continued a little, gave my men the im- 

 pression that they were helping away their wounded com- 

 panion. He was shot between the fourth and fifth ribs; 

 the ball passed through both lungs and a rib on the oppo- 

 site side, and then lodged beneath the skin. But, though 

 it was eight ounces in weight, yet he ran off some distance, 

 and was secured only by the people driving him into a pool 

 of water and killing him there with their spears. The 

 herd ran away in the direction of our camp, and then came 

 bounding past us again. We took refuge on a large ant- 

 hill, and as they rushed by us at full gallop I had a good 

 opportunity of seeing that the leader of a herd of about 

 Bixty was an old cow : all the others allowed her a full 



half-length in their front. On her withers sat about twenty 



29* 



