490 
VERTEBRATA. 
THE AFRICAN BUFFALO. 
Considerable numbers of these animals exist in a wild state in Eastern Africa, extending from 
the Cape to Abyssinia. It appears, also, from the recent accounts of Cummings, Anderson, Liv- 
ingstone, and others, that they are common in all Southern Africa. The following account is 
furnished by the first of these writers ; the adventures referred to took place nearly in the center 
of Southern Africa — about latitude 24° south and longitude 26° east — some eight or nine hundred 
miles northeast of Cape Town : 
"We took up the spoor of a troop of buffaloes, which we followed along a path made by the 
heavy beasts of the forest through a neck in the hills, and emerging from the thicket, we beheld, 
on the other side of a valley which had opened upon us, a herd of about ten huge bull buffaloes. 
These I attempted to stalk, but was defeated by a large herd of zebras, Avhich, getting our wind, 
charged past and started the buffaloes. I ordered the Bechuanas to release the dogs, and spurring 
Colesberg, I gave chase. The buffaloes crossed the valley in front of me, and made for a succes- 
sion of dense thickets in the hills to the northward. As they crossed the valley, by riding hard 
I obtained a broadside shot at the last bull, and fired both barrels into him. He, however, con- 
tinued his course, but I presently separated him, along with two other bulls, from the troop. My 
rifle being a two-grooved, which is hard to load, I was unable to do so on horseback, and followed 
with it empty, in the hope of bringing them to bay. In passing through a grove of thorny trees 
I lost sight of the wounded buffalo ; he had turned short and doubled back, a common practice 
with them when wounded. 
" After following the other two at a hard gallop for about two miles, I was riding within five 
yards of their huge broad sterns. They exhaled a strong bovine smell, which came hot in my 
face. I expected every minute that they would come to bay, and g-ive me time to load ; but this 
they did not seem disposed to do. At length, finding I had the speed of them, I increased my 
pace, and going ahead, I placed myself right before the finest bull, thus expecting to force him to 
stand at bay, upon which he instantly charged me with a loud roar, very similar to the voice of a 
lion. Colesberg neatly avoided the charge, and the bull resumed his northward course. We now 
entered on rocky ground, and the forest became more dense as we proceeded. The buffaloes 
were evidently making for some strong retreat. I, however, managed with much difficulty to 
hold them in view, following as best I could through thorny thickets. Isaac rode some hundred 
yards behind, and kept shouting to me to drop the pursuit, or I should be killed. At last the 
buffaloes suddenly pulled up, and stood at bay in a thicket within twenty yards of me. Spring- 
ing from my horse, I hastily loaded my two-grooved rifle, which I had scarcely completed when 
