BUFFALO. 
23 
one side, and proceeded towards the wood, but did 
not reach it before he fell. Dr. Thunberg describes 
this beast as having an extremely thick body, with 
short legs. He was of a dark gray colour, and al- 
most destitute of hairs, which on the young animal 
are black. This and a female were the only two 
they killed with their muskets. 
It appears that to meet a single buffalo is much 
more dangerous than to face a herd. Dr. Thunberg, 
having left his Hottentots and baggage behind him, 
crossed the Koukuma rive r with a guide and his 
sergeant, intending to pass through a thicket to a 
farm, which they discovered on the other side. But 
they had not gone far into the wood before they 
met with a large male buffalo, lying down alone in 
a spot that was free from bushes for the space of a 
few yards. As soon as he discovered the guide, who 
went first, he rushed upon him ; but the man turn- 
ing his horse behind a great tree avoided the beast, 
and got out of his sight. The sergeant, however, 
was not so fortunate, his horse being killed by the 
animal ; though he escaped into a tree, where he 
was followed by the guide, who to save himself had 
left his horse to the mercy of the buffalo. The 
Professor, unconscious of what had happened, was 
collecting plants at a distance behind his com- 
panions. Just as the furious animal was mangling 
the second horse he came up to the opening, 
where the wood was so thick that he had neither 
room to turn his horse round nor to get on one 
side ; he was therefore obliged to abandon him to 
