THE COUNT CHAEGED BY A BUFFALO 



45 



achieved. Maliommed SeifF and Bedue, wlio always went with 

 their master, were quite ill from the daily wear and tear ; but 

 fortunately the Count kept well, though he grew very much 

 graver and more reserved, which was no wonder, as the danger 

 he had to encounter became greater every day. In the last 

 two weeks he was charged eleven times by wounded buffaloes. 

 On January 17 he brought down four buffaloes, one of which, 

 sorely stricken, had withdrawn into a leleshwa jungle, where 

 it stood with head uplifted, the tips of its horns alone being 

 visible. It would never have done to go into the wood after 

 it, so the Count withdrew to the shade of a bush and lit a pipe 

 so as to get a little rest himself and give his enemy time to 

 grow weaker. Mahommed, however who got sick of waiting, 

 went and peeped at the buffalo every now and then, and pre- 

 sently the Count, who had no idea what he was about, saw 

 him dash towards himself out of the thicket with the buffalo 

 after him. The Count sprang up at once, and Mahommed, 

 who, be it said, never lost his presence of mind, however great 

 the danger, sprang cleverly on one side, so that his master was 

 able to get a shot at the neck of the buffalo, which fell down 

 dead. 



A couple of days afterwards a similar shot at a wounded 

 bull miscarried, and the furious animal charged the Count 

 at such close quarters that (a second shot fortunately taking 

 effect in the neck) he fell dead at the very feet of the sports- 

 man. As time went on Count Teleki had to sustain more and 

 more numerous charges from animals he had wounded. Thus, 

 on January 19, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 31, and February 1 he 

 was attacked ; on January 19 and 21 twice by buffaloes, on 

 January 23 by a buffalo and a rhinoceros, on January 24 by a 

 rhinoceros, and on the other days by buffaloes, escaping the 

 charges from the rhinoceroses by a hair's breadth. 



The Count always preferred aiming at the neck of a 



