Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1893-06-28


Ihad been for some months lead
ing the wild, excited life of an AT
rican hunter among the plains and
forests that extend far back of Port
Natal.
1t was the second expedition |
had made, and though on my return
from my first voyage, | promised
myself that nothing should ever
tempt me to undertake similar hard
ships and perils, here | was back
again, in less than five years, after
sailing toward home and the pleas
ure of civilized life.
We had met with such ill-luck
for several days that we had abso-
lutely no meat left in the camp;
each of us had gone out i'll different
ways in pursuit of something eata-
bic, and we had reached that stage
of necessity where our ideas took Il
range that would have made us ac-
cept anything from an elephant to
IA rabbit as legitimate prey.
! had been riding for several
hours, and was disconsolately turn
ing my horses head toward the
camp, vexed to think | should be
the one to 60 back empty-handed,
for the report of several rifles at
intervals had warned me that my
companions had met with better sue
cess.
Just then | saw, some distance in
advance, an immense buffalo feed
ing TRANQUILITY upon the short grass,
and evidently as unconscious and
needless of any danger as his ances-
tors might have been in the days
when the foot of no European adj
venturer had trodden those desert
wilds.
| took aim and fired, wounding
the beast slightly in the left shoul-
der, The sting of the wound seem-
ed to cause him more rage that pain.
lie began running about in circle,
tossing his head, paving the ground,
and believing in the most outrage
Gus manner.
was seized with desire to drive
the creature into camp, and | spur
red my horse toward him, branish-
ing my rifle, supposing that he
would take flight without delay,
and that | should be able to make
him pursue the direction which |
desired him TO take.
Not a bit of it The instant he
caught sight of me he gave another
bound that flung a cloud of dirt
into the air, uttered q below fercer
than before and darted toward me.
My faithfully horse started on a
mad gallop, and for hundred yards
the infuriated buffalo followed in q
chase that had assumed very DIFF
ferent aspect from the one had
anticipated. We dashed through a
thicket of bushes covered with sharp
thorns, that cut my horses sides
aud literally tore my clothes from
1mv-lack. but there was nothing else
for it.
When the animal Vas not more
than eight feet behind, T&Gled
suddenly upon the saddle and fired.
sending another ball through his
right ear and grazing his hip with
out wounding him more seriouly
than the first had done.
But this time fear overcame his
rage; he stopped short and showed
symptoms of flight, | sprang from
my horse, the admirably trained
creature stopped motionless as
statue at my command, and | re-
loaded my rifle with all speed.
took a more deliberate aim and
fired again; this time my sight was
surer the ball passed through his
lungs, and with a last below of
pain the enormous creature fell in
an unwieldy mass never to rise.
This happened, as | have said,
during my second expedition, and
not far from the place of the first
encounter, so that | began really
to be little superstitious, and to
think that if a third arrived it was
to be the end of those wild adven-
lures which caused so much anxiety
to the few who loved me.
The guides had told me when |
rose in the morning that they had
found the tracks of a lion, who had
evidently been amusing himself
during the night by promenading
as near our fires as he considered
prudent.
We had been out in search of him.
| lost my way, and when found
myself once more in known lati-
tude / overlook my servant, whose
horse was lamed by fall, and he
told me that the lion had been dis
covered several miles down the river.
left him to make the best of
his way back TO camp, and dashed
along the bank with all speed, anx-
ious to arrive upon the scene of
conflict before the forest king should
have fallen.
When ] reached the group found
that they had missed the lion, and
they stood debating; ] rode on in
advance for perhaps a quarter of
mile. ! began to fear that the
beast had escaped us altogether,
and was on the point Of turning
back to reioin my companions,
when, at a sudden turn in the path,
| caught sight of the object Of our
search.