Year: 1865

noble game that i had spotted
swung my double-barrel over my
shoulder, took my rifle across my lap
and started. Away we went, Harry
and |, our horses dashing over low
bushes, and through high ones--leap.
ing ereyices and clearing rocks--away
to the foot of the distant hill, where
we came upon the bufaloes, as many
as twenty in number, and with them
were two old bull wildebeests. l LET
fly at the nearest buffalo, an old brin-
dlod bull, and wounded him in the
shoulder AT the same moment
Harry fred with better success, for
one of the teasing fellows tumbled
under the weight of his bullet. i un-
slung my double bareled piece, and
dashed on after the capering herd,
and an less than FIVE minutes / had
stretched out one of the jowvl, of the
tribe. Harry, still eager for the
sport swept around to the southwark,
driving the game up the hill, while /
was reloading. The two wildebeests,
instead of keeping on up the slope,
turned to the eastward, as though
they wished to skirt the hill, and four
or five of the heaviest buffaloes fol-
lowed in their lead. While Harry
was after the main herd, / concluded
to give chase to these latter, and 1
drew my rein for that purpose. They
lead me around the hill at a tearing
pace--around for a mile or more
where they struck into bushy cover,
and made a curve to the eastward -
The latter movement brought them
nearer to me, and let fly at the lead
er, bringing him to the ground.


Away went the remainder Of the
party, and away 1 went after them,
leaving the dead one to. be found at
my leasure. Their course now led
them back toward the point whence
we had started them; and as they
dashed on, with their long, tufted
tails sweeping the air, and their huge
horns bent as though TO cut their
way through the bushes; L sped after
them with my rifle ready in my hand.


Thus for half mile, or more. when
the gaEe disappeared around the
point of thick grove of mimoses, l
shouted to my horse, and urged him
to the top of his speed. He was a
willing brute, and a gocd one, but not
equal to the one the lions had killed.
While l was wishing my horse could
go twice as fast, l was destined to
discover that he was going full fast
enough, as we shall directly see.


The mimosa grove threw out
sharp spur so laced with vines that l
could see nothing beyond it, and it
was around this spur that the game
had disappeared. L gave my horse
the butt of my rifle upon the hauneh,
tho tho sharp angle we we went sitfit at a furious fi
pace, and l was just bringing my rifle
to my knee again, when a large dark
object appeared before me, close under
my horses nose. i would have
drawn tho reins but it was too late
There was a shock like the crashing
of thunderbolt, and l was thrown
forward over my horses head, land
ing at least a dozen yards from the
scene of the catastrophe. Fortunately
my head did not strike the ground,
and | was quickly in sitting posture,
and was soon able to comprehend
what had happened.


Ny horse laid on his side, with his
head fiat upon the green sward, and
close to him upon his launches, was
huge bull buffalo.


How happened it that the buffalo
had been coming toward us? What
in the world had turned him in that
direction ? The question was very
soon answered. AS / regarded the
beast more narrowly, l noticed that
his shoulder was bloody, and that
the blood trickled down his leg. 1t
was the old brindled bull l had
wounded half an hour before, and he
had broken his cover just in season to
meet me in this unlucky manner.


If my horse was dead the buffalo
was not. lie saw me as l sat upon
the grass, and presently rose to his
feet. Ny double barrelled rifle was
close by me, and l grasped it, raised
it to my shoulder; but at that mo-
ment | dared not fire, for the old bull
was directly head on, and his enor-
nous skull covered every vulnerable
point.


The position in which 1 thus found
myself was by do means a pleasant
one. The sun had gone down, and
the shades of evening lent their SOM
bre coloring to the terrors of the
scene. l was lame--it might be that
my leg was broken for had not yet
tried to get upon my feot. At all
events, there was acute pain from my
right hip downward, aud the twitch-
ing in my knee was excruciating.-
But had no time for thoughts OF my
leg. My life was uppermost in my
mind just then.


The buffalo that now confronted me
was not one of your fancy hind; noI
was he of the sleek, docile sort, such
as we sometimes see in print; but he
was such one aswould have startled
a practiced matador, and sent the
boldest horses shying at a bull fight
He was one of the larg st of his kind
with broad, massive shoulders, ar
ugly, scowling face, and with a mass
of black shaggy hair hanging from
his forward parts almost equal to th'
name of an old lion. His honrs wer'
terrific. They started out obliquel,
from the head, and then shot outwar'
and dow inward with slight upward
curve at the ends. They were owe
three feet long, and black and sharp.


The monster plunged one OF hi
horns into the earth, and threw tn
dirt high into the air. at the sam


time giving utterance to deep savag


roar. He made his movement just a
prizc fighter squares himself at tn