ay, I turned round, and getting out of the
water, ran as hard as my legs would carry me. At length I stopped to
look for the buffalo. The monster was only stunned--I thought so. The
penknife must have astonished him, but the gems had probably only
shattered against his hard skull. He had fallen, but got up while I was
watching him, and was now looking about for me. He soon espied me, for
there was not an approach to shelter of any sort behind which I could
hide myself. With a fierce grunt, which sounded very terrific, on he
came. I now more than ever gave myself up for lost. Should I run, or
face him, and attempt to leap aside as he came near me? I knew that the
spot where I had dropped my bag of bullets was too far off for me to
hope to reach it before he could overtake me. I felt exactly as I have
often done in a dream, as if what was taking place was almost too
dreadful for reality. I turned my head over my shoulder as I ran. The
buffalo had begun to move. I could hear his panting breath--his snort
of rage. I stopped short, and in desperation faced him. I mechanically
poured powder down the muzzles of my rifle barrels. My eye was all the
time on the huge and infuriated brute which was, I believed, about to
destroy me. He was not to be awed by powder, or I might have hoped to
have frightened him by firing my blank charges in his face. I felt as
if all the colour had left my cheeks, and I own that I could have cried
out most lustily for help, had I fancied anybody would hear me.

Just then a loud bark reached my ear from a long distance through the
pure air, and I saw a small animal scampering along through the grass
towards me. Directly afterwards I heard a shout of a human voice. I
shouted in return. It gave me confidence. On came what in the distance
had appeared to be a small animal. It was my faithful Solon. The
furious buffalo had got within ten paces of me, and in another instant I
should have been crushed by his forehead, when Solon, instinctively
observing what was best to be done, flew at his neck, and compelled him
to turn round to ascertain who was his new opponent. I took the
opportunity to leap aside, when Solon, letting go his hold, kept barking
away furiously and flying at the buffalo's neck, to draw away his
attention from me. The success of his sagacious proceedings restored my
nerve and courage, and I kept dodging the buffalo, each time getting
further and further from him, t