Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-08-02

twenty-five yards, and held several large
cavities. Presently the jungle creakdd.
This set us on the alert. Raising our
guns we listened with anxious expecta-
ton and looked toward the spot from
where the sound proceeded. 10 our IN
utterahIe dismay, instead of painting of
stag. we saw a formidable beast, buffalo
with great spreading horns, closely fol-
lowed by its young. They appeared on
the opposite side Of the tank and evil
IDENTITY meant to proceed down the in
cline to the water, bat seeing Us, stopped
ON their way and seemed to be taking
note OF our proceedings. Ny experience
as a Sportsman had hitherto been CON
fined to small game, and this formidable
and dangerous enemy, with the dread
scenery around, instantly filled me With
agitation and caused my heart to beat
almost loud enough to be heard. [ sug-
gested to my companion the necessity of
firing at once, and without waiting for
| his answer nervously discharged my
! barrels one after the other, which sinul-
taneously produced a sudden comno-
ton behind, as though the report OF my
| gun had disturbed the quiet of some
| beast.
''Startled beyond utterance at another
| and nearer danger [ turned round in
| eagerness for the extra gun, but was
Mortified TO find the boatmau had disap-
pesred with it, while batch of jackals
sprang out from the cavities of the trees
and rushed helter-skeIter among the
reeds for safety. Again [ turned, excited
and nervous, to tke buffalo. Both my
shots seemed to have missed. Reused
into brute-like fury, and all the mot 8
| exas perated in its fear for the safety Of
It's young, the parent buffalo started to-
ward us, tearing madly round the tank
with ring and chatter of hOof that
echoed through the forest. The dagger
was the only weapon 1 had for defending
myself, and i'll adapted for use against so
formidable beast; but the first thought
of self-preservation suggested conceal
ment, and I Immediately placed myself
behind the massive trunk whence the
iackals had escaped. By this means
walled myself out of sight of the furious
brute.
"My friend, however, displayed an as
tonishing power of nerve. He had been
standing perfectly composed, with his
eyes fixed on his approaching antagonist,
and it was not till the baffalO had turned
the angle of the tank and came tearing
down the bank we occupied that he calm
Iy fred his first shot. [ looked from my
hiding place 10 that instant and saw the
animal dash violently aside, accompany
ing the wild movement with burst of
snorting rage. The bullet had evidently
told, but not fatally, for it rushed on all
the more franticalIy, fOaming and roar
ing, towards it's assailant. In another
moment it was within a stones throw of
US. called excitedly to my friend to
take refuge in q tree to which | fled, but
iG was in vain. As swift as thought l
threw my gun aside and scrambled up to
the topmost branches, needless of thorns
and stinging insects; from here L saw my
friend fire the second time and then fling
down his gun. The buffalo was now with
in 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
ed the terrific scene between them. Ny
friend now began to dodge the Infatuated
buffalo round and round the trunk of
the tree, thus evading its 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.
maddenipg struggle for life, whiI9 the
buffalo grew more incensed with each
collision of its horns against the trunk
as it heavily followed its victim round.
It's tread became heavier and heavier
and its bursts of fury sounded terrible
in my ears. l grew doubly agitated,
owing to my utter powerlessness to help
my friend In this unequal eDcoGnter,
when 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 reach of the buffalo's
destructive horns, and at every moment
I expect ed to see him overtaken and
down; he miraculously continued to
escape on 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
al defense, but it was hopeless; one pow
erful horn of the exas perated beast had
penetrated his side, leaving large open
wound, after which it rushed wildly back
to its young. I shuddered as l witnessed
the painful catastrophe, and, quite over
come, lost my hold on the branch and
dropped to the ground, where 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 I heard
from the rivers edge the echo of human
voices and footsteps striking path
through the reeds.
"At length the fugitive boatman ap-
peared with four of the crew, all of whom
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 excrLciating pain, to
the beat, and on sighting it, dropped in
sensible. When / reached my cabin,
whither 1 was carried by the crew, my
own sufferings were entirely forgotten on
seeing my friends serious condition. We
FASTENED back to the nearest station for
medical aid, where, alas! he died after a
fortnight of agonizing pain. His
thoug hts, when conscious, still dwelton-
the appalling encounter, and he expires ed
his conviction that in his second shot the
buffalo had received fatal wound. Bet
ing obliged to leave my friend at the
station 1 returned TO Calcutta and COM
municated 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
should wish to test the truth of my story,
let him search for huge pair of horns,
the largest in al the museum, and he will