e driven with
the whole of the brute's bulk for lever and sledge-hammer. Such force as
is exerted, would be almost sufficient to push a crowbar through a
stone wall, and, tough though they are, the hardest of old bull
buffaloes is not proof against the terrible pressure brought to bear.
The bulls show wonderful activity and skill in these fencing matches.
Each beast gives way the instant that it is warned by the touch of the
horn-tip that its opponent has found an opening, and woe betide the bull
that puts its weight into a stab which the other has time to elude. In
the flick of an eye,--as the Malay phrase has it,--advantage is taken of
the blunder, and, before the bull has time to recover its lost balance,
its opponent has found an opening, and has wedged its horn-point into
the neck or cheek. When at last a firm grip has been won, and the horn
has been driven into the yielding flesh, as far as the struggles of its
opponent render possible, the stabber makes his great effort. Pulling
his hind legs well under him, and straightening his fore-legs to the
utmost extent, till the skin is drawn taut over the projecting bosses of
bone at the shoulders, and the knots of muscle stand out like cordage on
a crate, he lifts his opponent. His head is skewed on one side, so that
the horn on which his adversary is hooked, is raised to the highest
level possible, and his massive neck strains and quivers with the
tremendous effort. If the stab is sufficiently low down, say in the
neck, or under the cheek-bone, the wounded bull is often lifted clean
off his fore-feet, and hangs there helpless and motionless 'while a man
might count a score.' The exertion of lifting, however, is too great to
admit of its being continued for any length of time, and as soon as the
wounded buffalo regains its power of motion,--that is to say, as soon
as its fore-feet are again on the ground,--it speedily releases itself
from its adversary's horn. Then, since the latter is often spent, by the
extraordinary effort which has been made, it frequently happens that it
is stabbed, and lifted in its turn, before balance has been completely
recovered.

Once, and only once, have I seen a bull succeed in throwing his
opponent, after he had lifted it off its feet. The vanquished bull
turned over on its back, before it succeeded in regaining its feet, but
the victor was itself too used up, to more than make a ghost of a stab
at the exposed stomach of its adversary. Thi