dile. Therefore, in order to even matters a little, I decided to
take a hand in the game, and forthwith started at a run for the scene of
action. And I arrived not a second too soon, for when I reached the
spot the buffalo, notwithstanding his immense strength and the desperate
resistance which he had offered, had been dragged slowly forward through
the yielding mud until he was submerged mid-shoulder-deep, while, his
head being held under water, he was already half-drowned and his
resistance decreased every moment. Nevertheless he was still making a
gallant struggle, occasionally contriving to raise his head above water
and secure a gulp of air, notwithstanding the fact that, in order to do
so, he had practically to lift the entire weight of the crocodile a foot
or more; and of course upon these occasions the crocodile's head was
lifted at least partially out of the water, far enough to disclose the
brute's merciless eyes. This happened a second or two after my arrival
upon the scene, when, quick as light, I tossed my weapon to my shoulder,
sighted the reptile's left eye, and pulled the trigger.

It was enough: the bullet penetrated to the creature's brain, the great
jaws slowly relaxed their grip, and with a smothered bellow which may or
may not have indicated relief, the great bull swerved round, staggered
out of the water and up the bank, and fell in a heap just as he reached
the crest, where he lay, panting heavily and moaning with pain as the
blood gushed from his lacerated muzzle. For a moment, as I stood to
reload my rifle, I was more than half-inclined to put a bullet into the
poor beast's brain and so end his misery, but upon reflection I decided
that it would be rather unsportsmanlike to take advantage of his
helplessness. I therefore determined to give him a chance, and went
upon my way, leaving him to recover if he could. And when I retraced my
steps about an hour later the brute had vanished, though he had probably
not gone very far.

Resuming my walk, I reached the spot for which I had been making, just
in time to secure a shot at a flight of teal as the birds arrived in
what were evidently their night quarters, and was fortunate enough to
bag two and a half brace, with which I returned to the wagon, lighted on
my way by the rays of the newly risen almost full moon.

On the following evening, after a long and fatiguing day's trek over
broken and continuously rising ground, we outspanned close to a