Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-07-27

anu nsaFer Canger 1 turned round in /
eaSefness for the extra gun, but was |
Mortified 10 find the boatmsu had dissp- /
psared with 1t, While 9 batch of isckals /
spraag out from the cavities of the trees /
and rushed helter-skelter smosg the |
reeds for safety. Again turned, excited |
and nervous, TO the buffalo. Both my
shots seemed to have missed. Reused |
into brate-hke fury, and all the more
exas perated in its fear for the safety of !
Its young, the parent buffalo started to- |
ward us, tearing msdly round the tank
with ring and chatter of hoof that
echoed through the forest. The dagger
was the only weapon l had for defending
my self, and i'll adapted for use against SO
formidable q beast; but the FIRST thought
or preservation suggested conceal
ment, and immediately plsced myself
oeh nd the massive trunk whence the
Iackals had escaped. By this means
walled myself out of sight of the furious
brute.
My frleEd, however, displayed an as
tonlshlng power of nerve. He had been
standing perfectly con- posed, with his
eyes fixed on his approaching antagonist.
aud 1t was not till the bsffalo had turned
the angle of the tank and came tearing
down the bank we occupied that he calm
ly fired his first shot. looked from nv
hidiag- place 10 that instant and saw the
animal dash violently aside, accom- pauy-
ing the wild movement with burst of
snorting rage. The bullet had evidently
told, but not fatally, for it rushed on all
the more frauticauy, foaming and roar
ing, towards Its asssil&ut. In another
-noment 1t was within a stones throw of
Us. [ called eXcitedIy TO my friend to
take refuge IL a tree 20 which fled, but
1t was in vain. As swift as Thought |
threw my gun aside and scrambled up TO
the topmoSt branches, needless of thorns
and singing insects; from here | saw my
friend ire the second time and then fling
down his gun. This buffalo was now with
In Il few yards OF Us in the attitude of
charging, and its loud and angry grunt-
ing echoed like distant thunder through
the Jungle. Intensely alarmed | witness
Cd the terrific scene between them. My
friend now began to dodge the Infatuated
buffalo round aud round the trunk of
the tree, thus evadipg It's attacks, and at
times being all but trampled under its
ponderous hoofs. Then recovering him
self he renewed his violent efforts to
avert the destruction that faced him.
"Tn this manner he continued the
maddening struggle for life, while the
buffalo grew more incensed with each
collision of its horns against the frank
as it heavily followed Its victim round.
Its tread became heavier and heavier
and its bursts of fury sounded terrible
in my ears. | grew doubly agitated,
owing to my utter powerlessness to help
my friend in this unequal encoEnter,
when a sudden thought struck me that
shouting aloud might divert the venge-
full instincts of the frenzied beast. This
[ did with no effect. PRESENTLY noticed
that the buffalo was gaining distance,
and that my friend began to stumble
over the thOrny underground, which
threw him within leach of the buffalo IS
destructive horns, and at every moment
| expected to see him overtaken and
down; he miraculously continued to
escape or each occasion and still held out
the desperate struggle for life. He at
length became visibly exhausted and
stumbled again and again, till eventually
he fell, Selling his dagger in an attempt
at defense, but 1t was hopeless; one pow
erfui horn of the exasperated beast had
penetrated his side, leaving q large open
wound, after which it rushed wildly back
to its young. | shuddered as | witnessed
the painful catastrophe, and, quire over.
come, lost my hold on the branch and
dropped to the ground, where 1 lay half
concealed among the sharp thOrns and
priCkly shrubs, rendered even more
helpless from a fracture of my leg. |
remained in this situation till | heard
from the rivers edge the echo of human
voices and footsteps striking path
through the re- ds.
cat length the fugitive boatman ap-
peared with four of the crew, all of whom
l at once dismissed, directing that my
friend sholld be first attended to. But
how shall | express my amaZement when
[ learned that he had dragged himself,
bleeding and in excrdciatipg pain, TO
the boat, and on sighting it, dropped in
sensible. When | reached my cabin,
whittier | was carried by the crew, my
own sufferings were entirely forgotten ON
seeing my friends serious condition. We
hRstened back to the nearest station for
medical aid, wi ere, alas! he died after a
fortnight of agonlzlng pain. His
thong hts, when conscious, still dwelton-
the appalling encounter, and he expires ed
his conviction that In his second shot the
buffalo had received a fatal wound. Bet
ing obliged to leave my friend at the
station | returned to Calcutta and com
mGncated the whole of the incident so
the revenue board, when a larger and
stronger force was dispatched to the
spot. The buffalo was found dead on the
opposite side of the tank. The head is
now the largest to be seen in the Indian
museum. The head was brought to Cal
cutta and placed in the museum there,
and if anyone who reads these lines