The Progress., 1893-08-19

it was not built to carry him and h,
instantly disappeared.
| II looked from the spot where h,
had gone down and saw to my horro
that what had crossed as safe lanC
had now sunk under the combined
weight OF the herd. and that between
my frail raft and the dry land wa.
now fully eighty feet of quagmirt
/ filled with drowning and fighting
! animals. some of which were knee
/ deep, while others barely had theil
/ noses out of water. The struggle.
and cries of the poor creatures were
| horrible to witness, as one after an
other they were trampled under foot
and pressed under water by the
stronger among the herd crowding
forward.
"Up to this time but few of them
had succeeded in fighting their way
through the thick slime to the island
upon which | had taken refuge. and
these | had been forced to shoot for
my self-protectiOn.
''There was one. however, that
nearly proved too much for me- A
young and sturdy bull after making
a vigorous rush across the backs of
the others, during which he slipped
and half fell three or four times only
to recover himself with a snort of
terror, finally reached the end of his
living bridge, and gathering himself
for a last effort. attempted to spring
upon my stronghold. Fortunately
for me, the great fellow slipped, and
falling short. succeeded only in strik-
ing the island with his massive
woolly head.
LAS matter of course the shock
threw me off my feet and when had
recovered myself the bull had got
one leg upon the mass and had half
raised himself from the water.
My rife was empty, so | welded
1t as a club, striking him upon the
nose until his roars echoed down the
ravine; but for all my clubbing |
could not drive him back, and in an
other instant he had secured a foot
ing with IT, : other leg.
"Never shall forget the agony of
that Notwithstanding as / did upon
a small moss island scarcely twelve
feet in diameter with a bottomless
all round and an enraged
buffalo drawing me resistlessly into
the folds of the heaving. bubbling
mud, in which were either dead or
dying a full hundred of the wild
cattle.
''At that moment / remem bered
my hunting knife, and, drawing it
rom my belt. drove it to the hilt
into the bulls neck.
The blow was a good one. and as
The warm life blood poured from his
mouth and nOstrils, l knew that
vas saved. A moment later the
luge, strong form sank lifelessly
nto the mire; the island righted
tself and / was again master of the
situation.
1.-The rest was comparatively easy,
although on one occasion had as
many as a dozen struggling animals
lose around me, and all clamoring
or admittance at the same time.
But the poor creatures were toe
weak to raise themselves; in fact,
most of them sunk without causing
ne much trouble, and very soon all
'ecame STILL but never had the
noon shown down upon a more
-hastly struggle for existence than
lad occupied the last half hour.
"After casting around for some
ime for a means of reaching the
hore finally succeeded in crossing
pom the backs of the dead buffaloes,
ut it was ticklish work.
well, to cut long story short,
DR. this is my farm which we are
oming to, | managed to get enough
ides out of that pool to make my
rip a very profitable one. but | had
D get new horse before / could
larket them, for the old one | never
aw again"