244 
SCENES IN INDIA. 
When the buffalo was within a few yards of her, a 
youth suddenly sprang past the beautiful girl from 
behind, and stood before her enemy. The excited 
animal instantly made a plunge towards him, but he 
adroitly avoided the intended mischief by a vigorous 
spring. The buffalo, not to be thus easily foiled; turned 
shortly upon him; and when it was just in the act of 
raising him upon its horns and hurling him into the 
air; he made a desperate leap forward upon the ani- 
mal's back; and with the quickness of thought; taking 
a second spring, alighted on the ground upon his 
feet ; he now suddenly seized the buffalo by the tail, 
and began to twist it, to the terror of the enraged 
brute, which, after turning furiously round in two or 
three unavailing attempts to reach its punisher, darted 
forward across the plain, and was quickly out of 
sight. 
The poor girl, who had stood perfectly calm and col- 
lected during the whole period of her own peril, was so 
agitated at witnessing that of the stranger, that, over- 
come by the strong reaction of her feelings, as soon as 
there was no longer cause for apprehension, she faint- 
ed upon the pathway. Her preserver, taking a small 
quantity of the water still remaining in the vessel 
which had fallen from her head, threw it into her face, 
and she quickly revived. Distressed at finding her- 
self in the arms of a stranger, and too evidently one 
of a people with whom she had never yet held com- 
munion, she felt painfully embarrassed. Her brave 
rescuer, who proved to be a young Englishman, seeing 
her uneasiness, and being aware of the unconquerable 
reluctance of Parsee women to have any intercourse 
