t. The herd stood still. I felt, if not nervous, very
curious. The excitement, however, carried me on.

"Shout," cried Nowell. We raised a loud cry, which made the welkin
ring. We had got within thirty yards, when the main body, including
some of the sentry bulls, turned tail and went off along the plain.
Two, however, as if acting in concert, advanced towards us--these we had
singled out as our victims.

"Fire!" cried Nowell, when they were about twenty paces from us.

Glad enough I was to do so. To my surprise and delight mine fell over
at the instant, and I thought was dead. The one at which Nowell had
shot sunk to his knees, but instantly recovering himself, he went off
wounded as he was towards the water. Curiously enough, as soon as he
was perceived by the herd, the largest of the bulls rushing after him,
knocked him over, and tramping fiercely on him, trotted off along the
margin of the lake.

"Try and stop the bully!" cried Nowell.

Without a moment's hesitation, off I dashed as fast as my legs would
carry me. Nowell would have followed, but both our buffaloes gave signs
not only of life, but of renewed activity, and it was necessary to
settle with them before it was safe to advance. I was too far off to
hear him calling me back. On went the bully buffalo, and I followed
after him. Sometimes he would stop and look at me, as if daring me to
advance, and then he would run on again for a hundred yards or more,
when he would stop as before. I at one time got a little nearer, so
bringing my rifle to my shoulder, I fired. I hit him, but in no vital
or painful part, for he continued his course as before. I loaded
rapidly, and on I went. The lake some way on before me ran up into a
deep gulf. The bull, as I fancied, not observing this, steered for the
intervening point of land. I thought, therefore, that I had him safe in
a corner, I forgot that no animal swims better, or is more fearless of
the water. I fully expected that I should be able to bring him to bay.
All I wanted was to get a fair shot at his forehead. I had got within
thirty yards of him, when into the lake he plunged and began swimming
across the mouth of the gulf. The distance round was not great. I
thought that I might get to the opposite shore and meet him as he
landed. I ran as fast as I could, and got to the point I intended, when
he was some twenty or thirty feet from it. I felt something drop as I
ran, but I had not time