28 
BUFFALO. 
" The unfortunate Ammonios had been driven 
from tree to tree, till he had got behind one within 
a few yards of the water ; but the brushwood upon 
the banks, and his attention to the buffalo, hin- 
dered him from seeing how far it was below him. 
Nothing could be more ridiculous than to see him 
holding the tree with both his hands, peeping first 
one way, and then another, to see by which the 
beast would turn. And well he might be on his 
guard ; for the animal was absolutely mad, tossing 
up the ground with his feet both before and be- 
hind. c Sir,’ said I to Ayto Confu, f this will be 
but an ugly joke to-night, if we bring home that 
man’s corpse, killed in the very midst of us, while 
wc were looking on.’ Saying this, I parted at a 
canter behind the trees, crying to Ammonios to 
throw himself into the water, when I would strike 
the beast ; and, seeing the buffalo's head turned 
from me, at full speed I ran the spear into the lower 
part of his belly, through his whole intestines, till 
it came out above a foot on the other side; and there 
I left it, with a view to hinder the buffalo from 
turning. It was a spear, which, though small in 
the head, had a strong, tough, seasoned shaft, which 
did not break by striking it against the trees and 
bushes ; and it pained and impeded the animal’s 
motions, till Ammonios, quitting the tree, dashed 
through the bushes with some difficulty, and threw 
himself into the river. But here a danger occurred 
that I had not foreseen. The pool was very deep, 
and Ammonios could not swim ; so that, though he 
