XIV 
THE BUFFALO 
63 
nature of the wound which effected such an 
instantaneous collapse ?” 
The knife was a portion of a real old “Andrea 
Ferrara” Highland claymore. The blade was 18 
inches in length and 2 inches in breadth, double- 
edged, and as sharp as it was possible to make it. 
The point was as keen as a lancet; that is the 
condition in which a hunting-knife should always 
be kept. I never leave the camp for a day’s work 
without first examining the edge and point of my 
knife; if necessary, I personally sharpen it upon 
a Turkey hone, and I never allow a servant to 
handle it. 
We made a careful post-mortem examination 
of the buffalo. The small No. 20 spherical bullet 
had settled upon the spine at the back of the neck, 
but had not damaged the bone; the shock had 
stunned the animal for a few minutes. The sharp 
double edge of the long hunting-knife had com¬ 
pletely divided the great artery of the heart, which 
was split open exactly at the orifice. 
From that moment my companion declined to 
fire at buffaloes ; I felt no hesitation in supporting 
his determination, as his weapon was totally in¬ 
adequate to the work required. 
Although it appears to have been a wanton 
destruction of life, I had no pangs of conscience in 
shooting these ferocious animals, as it would have 
been exceedingly dangerous in those days to have 
gone out snipe-shooting with an ordinary smooth¬ 
bore, while so many bulls were possessors of the 
