CHAP. I.] 
BULL BUFFALO. 
3 7 
tribe. Course S.E.; wind very light; windings of 
river endless; continual hauling. At about half an 
hour before sunset, as the men were hauling the boat 
along by dragging at the high reeds from the deck, a 
man at the mast-head reported a buffalo standing on a 
dry piece of ground near the river; being in want of 
meat, the men begged me to shoot him. The buffalo 
was so concealed by the high grass, that he could not 
be seen from the deck ; I therefore stood upon an 
angarep (bedstead) on the poop, and from this I could 
just discern his head and shoulders in the high grass, 
about a hundred and twenty yards off. I fired with 
No. 1 Reilly rifle, and he dropped apparently dead to 
the shot. The men being hungry, were mad with 
delight, and regardless of all but meat, they dashed 
into the water, and were shortly at him; one man 
holding him by the tail, another dancing upon him 
and brandishing his knife, and all shouting a yell of 
exultation. Presently up jumped the insulted buffalo, 
and charging through the men, he disappeared in the 
high grass, falling, as the men declared, in the deep 
morass. It was dusk, and the men, being rather 
ashamed of their folly in dancing instead of ham¬ 
stringing the animal, and securing their beef, slunk 
back to their vessels. 
Jan. 10th .—Early in the morning the buffalo was 
heard groaning in the marsh, not far from the spot 
where he was supposed to have fallen. About forty 
men took their guns and knives, intent upon beefsteaks, 
and waded knee-deep in mud and water through the 
high grass of the morass in search. About one hour 
passed in this way, and, seeing the reckless manner in 
which the men were wandering about, I went down 
below to beat the drum to call them back, which the 
vakeel had been vainly attempting. Just at this 
moment I heard a distant yelling, and shot fired after 
shot, about twenty times, in quick succession. I saw 
with the telescope a crowd of men about three hundred 
yards distant, standing on a white ant-hill raised above 
