MY NEW FRIENDS--JOURNEY TO THE CAPITAL--KANDY--FINE ROADS--MAGNIFICENT
SCENERY--COFFEE PLANTATION--MOUNTAIN TRAVELLING--KEURA-ELLIA--ITS
REFRESHING COOLNESS--MY FIRST BUFFALO HUNT--UNPLEASANT CONSEQUENCES--
SOLON TO THE RESCUE.
Were I to describe all the wonderful and curious things I saw and heard
of in Ceylon, I should very soon fill my pages. After leaving the sea
the palm trees soon disappeared, and we were surrounded by the graceful
arecas, mixed with the kitool or jaggery palm, and numberless flowering
trees and shrubs, the murutu with its profusion of lilac blossoms, and
the gorgeous imbul or cotton-tree covered with crimson flowers. We
passed thousands of bullock carts bringing down coffee from the estates
in the interior, and carrying up rice and other provisions and articles
required on them. They are small, dark-coloured, graceful little
animals, with humps on their backs, and legs as slender as those of a
deer. The carts they draw are called bandys. They are rough
two-wheeled vehicles, with a covering of plaited cocoa-nut leaves.
We were now gradually ascending, the cottages of the natives being
surrounded by coffee bushes, with their polished green leaves and
wreaths of jessamine-like flowers, instead of palm-trees as in the low
country. The latter part of the road wag most magnificent, combining
the grandeur of the Alps with the splendour of tropical vegetation.
"Some Kandyan prophet had foretold," Mr Fordyce informed me, "that the
kingdom of Kandy would come to an end when a bullock should be driven
through a certain hill, and a man on horseback should pass through a
rock."
This prophecy has been fulfilled, for we passed along a tunnel under the
hill, through which thousands of bullocks have been driven, and under an
archway in the rock.
Kandy is a comparatively modern city, having only become the capital of
the kingdom about A.D. 1592, since which time it has been frequently
burned. It stands closely surrounded by mountains, on the banks of a
lake constructed by the last King of Kandy, in 1807. The habitations of
the people were most wretched, as the king alone, and members of the
royal family, enjoyed the privilege of having glazed windows, whitened
walls, and tiles; the palace, and some of the Buddhist temples, are the
only ancient edifices which remain, and even these are crumbling to
decay. The chief temple was one built to contain the tooth of Buddha.
Not that the original tooth really exists, because that was burned by
the Portuguese. The present relic worshipped by all the Buddhists is
more like the tooth of a crocodile than that of a man. It is preserved
in an inner chamber, without windows, on a table, and is concealed by a
bell-shaped covering, overspread with jewels.
The view from the side of the mountains above Kandy, looking down on the
city with its temples, and palaces, and monuments, and its brightly
glancing lake surrounded by hills, is very beautiful. In the lake is a
small island, with a picturesque building on it, now used as a powder
magazine. A road winding round one of the hills leads to a spot whence
we looked down over a wild valley, with the river Mahawelliganga in the
centre of it, rushing over a bed of rocks, the whole scene being one of
the most majestic grandeur. Altogether, no city within the tropics is
more picturesquely situated, or has a finer climate. Still, it is not
equal to that of Neura-Ellia, very properly called the sanatorium of the
island, to which we were bound.
Mr Fordyce, before lionising the place with Nowell, assisted me in
making all possible inquiries for Mr Coventry and Alfred. Several
people knew my grandfather. When they last had seen him he was on his
way to his coffee estate, which was situated in the extreme east of the
district suitable for the growth of the plant, and beyond Neura-Ellia.
He had had a young man with him, but who he was and where he was going
they could not tell. I was in great hopes, from the account I had
heard, that Alfred might have joined him. I was now more than ever
impatient to set off, and so was Nowell, for he was anxious to begin his
attacks on the elephants, the buffaloes, and elks he was in search of.
"Come along, Marsden, we will set off at once to look for my
Will-of-the-wisp old friend, though I suspect we shall have to travel
fast to catch him," said Mr Fordyce to me. "His activity would put to
shame many young men, I suspect, and your brother must not let the grass
grow under his feet if he wishes to please him."
Mr Fordyce kindly engaged a vehicle of a somewhat antique structure to
convey us as far as Neura-Ellia, a distance of fifty miles. After that
we should at length have to engage horses and bullocks to carry our
tents and baggage. Although I found the journey exceedingly
interesting, as we met with no exciting adventure I will pass over it
rapidly. The road for some miles led along the banks of the rapid and
turbulent Mahawelliganga. We crossed it by a bridge of a single arch,
90 feet high, with a span of 200 feet. We were told that during the
rains of the monsoons the water has been known to rise 60 feet in its
bed, carrying carcasses of elephants and huge trees in its current. By
the side of the road were numerous shops or bazaars, kept by low country
Singhalese, for the sale of all sorts of commodities to the country
people. The Kandyans have a strong prejudice against engaging in trade,
and indeed dislike to mix at all with strangers. They therefore, when
able, perch their residences in the most out-of-the-way and inaccessible
positions. The latter are the Highlanders, while the Singhalese are the
Lowlanders of Ceylon. The Kandyans have a strong attachment and
veneration for their chiefs, by whom, however, they were cruelly
oppressed, and both races possess the vices inherent to a long-continued
slavery--a want of truthfulness and honesty; at the same time they
possess the virtue of strong family affection and respect for their
parents and elders.
At Gampola, once the capital of the kingdom, there is a rest-house where
we stopped. We had now reached the region where the first successful
attempt at the systematic cultivation of coffee was made in the island.
It had been tried in several places in the low country, but always had
failed. Sir Edward Barnes, the great benefactor of Ceylon, first
produced it on an upland estate of his own, in 1825, since which time
the export from the island has increased to 67,453,680 pounds, annually.
A great stimulus was given to the cultivation of coffee in Ceylon in
consequence of the blacks in the West Indies, when emancipated from
slavery, refusing to work; but in after-years, from the wildest
speculation and the injudicious employment of capital, many of the
English who had endeavoured to form estates had no means left to
continue their cultivation, and wide-spread ruin was the result. Now,
however, those who are able to reside on their property, by judicious
management, find the cultivation a most profitable employment for their
capital, in spite of the expense of bringing up rice for their
labourers, and the destruction caused by winds, insects, caterpillars,
wild cats, monkeys, squirrels, and rats. As the natives cannot be
depended on as labourers, except in the first process of clearing the
forest, the estates are cultivated by coolies, who come over from
Malabar and the Coromandel Coast, as the Irish do in the reaping season
to England, to find employment.
We continued our journey through a complete alpine region, except that
the trees were very different to any seen in Europe. Among them was a
tree the stem and branches of which were yellow, with the gamboge
exuding from them, called the goraka; there was the datura, with its
white flower bells; and the imbul, with its crimson blossoms; while tree
ferns by the side of the streams rose to the height of 20 feet.
We stopped at the bungalow of some friends of Mr Fordyce, now
surrounded by a plantation of upwards of a thousand acres of
coffee-trees in full bearing, fenced in by hedges of roses. Nothing
could be more beautiful than the view from the estate, embracing, as it
did, mountains, forests, rivers, cataracts, and plains, seen from a
height of nearly 4000 feet above the level of the sea. But a few years
ago, about 1845, this very spot was covered with dark forests, wild as
left by the hand of Nature. Nowell and I agreed that we should be
perfectly ready to turn coffee planters, and settle down here for the
remainder of our lives. Mr Fordyce laughed at our notion.
"Till you got tired of your own society, and then you would be heartily
sick of coffee-trees and the magnificent scenery which surrounds us," he
observed.
He was right; at the same time, I believe a man with a family round him,
who understands the nature of the cultivation and the language of the
people, and combines with it the earnest desire to improve their moral
condition, and to spread the truths of Christianity among them, would be
able to pass his life in a very satisfactory and profitable way. The
great secret of happiness in all such positions is the consciousness
that we are benefiting our fellow-creatures who surround us. A coffee
plantation put me something in mind of a grove of laurels. The leaves
are as polished and bright as those of a laurel, but of a darker green.
They bloom in the most rapid way, and the flowers are succeeded as
quickly by the bunches of berries which soon turn crimson, and are not
unlike a cherry in size and colour. The flowers are of snowy whiteness,
and grow in tufts along the upper part of the branches. On looking out
in the morning I have seen all the trees covered with bloom, looking as
if a snow storm had fallen in the night, while the perfume they emitted
of a strong jessamine odour was almost oppressive. Within the crimson
pulp lies a sheath, which encloses the double seed. This is by various
processes freed from its coverings, and the berry we use in England is
the result.
Neura-Ellia was reached at last. It is a grassy plain 6222 feet above
the level of the sea, and yet surrounded by mountains, some on the north
side being 2000 feet higher still. The village, with its pleasant
bungalows, stands in the midst of it, with bright streams flowing by
grassy fields, and hills covered with the most luxuriant vegetation.
Here the air is cool and bracing--a breeze ever blowing, hoar-frost on
the grass, and ice on the water in the winter--what a blessed change
does it present from the blazing sun and hot sultry air of the
sea-coast. It can be reached, too, from Colombo by a capital road of
less than a hundred miles in length. I wonder people do not resort to
it for their health from all parts of India. I should think that it
would be an excellent place for the establishment of schools at which
parents in India might place their children, instead of having to send
them all the way to England, and to be parted from them, as is often the
case, for so many years at a time. Here they might frequently visit
them, and greatly benefit their own health. The troops here never
change their woollen for lighter clothing, and even great-coats are in
request, and blankets on beds and fires in the evening are found
pleasant. All our spirits rose in this delightful atmosphere,
especially did those of Mr Fordyce, after we had spent a day there.
"I have made up my mind, young gentlemen, not to let you proceed on your
journey alone," he said to us when we met at breakfast. "I shall like
to renew my early acquaintance with the wild elephants and buffaloes,
and elks and bears, and I think that I may somewhat facilitate your
proceedings, and make your journey less expensive to you."
He had, I have no doubt, all along intended to make this proposal, but
lest we might have fancied such an old gentleman as he was might prove a
considerable bar to our amusement, he had not said anything about the
matter. Now that we found how very active and full of spirits he was,
in spite of his age, we were both delighted to have his company, besides
which we should see a great deal more of the country than we possibly
could by ourselves.
"We shall be delighted, indeed we shall," we exclaimed simultaneously.
"But if I do not find my brother Alfred with my grandfather, I must
continue my search for him; and if I find him, I shall not like to part
from him again immediately," said I.
"Time enough to settle what you will do when you find Mr Coventry. I
cannot insure your catching him even yet," was the answer.
Mr Fordyce had made all the arrangements for a journey of some length.
Should I find Mr Coventry and remain with him, he intended to proceed
with Nowell alone. I was not a little surprised the next morning to see
the large cortege assembled in front of our bungalow. There were two
elephants to carry our tents, and twenty or more coolies who transported
our beds, canteens, and provisions, besides servants, and grass-cutters,
and horse-keepers, the mahouts who rode the elephants, and two
professional sportsmen, Moors they are called, whose especial business
it is to track and capture the elephants. They reside in villages in
the northern part of the island, and are a fine hardy race, and show
wonderful sagacity in the pursuit of game. Besides the horses we rode,
we had several spare ones in case ours should knock up. One man had
especial charge of Solon, who, from his ignorance of the nature of the
wild beasts we were likely to meet with, it was supposed might otherwise
get into trouble. I need not specify exactly the locality of my
grandfather's estate; indeed, few of my readers would remember the
odd-sounding names of the various places through which we passed. I
know that I could scarcely remember them even at the time I was there.
Since then roads have been formed in all directions, and already great
improvements have taken place besides those I have described. We,
however, were now to travel where there were no carriage roads or
bridges, and often no ferries, so that we had to construct rafts on
which to carry across the streams our saddles, and baggage, and
provisions, while our animals swam after us.
"Another warm day, Sandy," observed the Highland soldier to his comrade
after many a broiling month had been passed on the plains of Hindostan.
Such was the salutation with which Nowell and I greeted each other after
we had descended from the cool heights of Neura-Ellia, and were
proceeding towards Mr Coventry's estate. Most lovely were these days.
We always started at the earliest dawn, when all nature was but just
awaking from the grateful rest of night. First came forth the gaudy
butterflies fluttering from flower to flower, till every shrub had a
rainbow-coloured mass hovering over it. Bees full of industry flew
abroad, and glittering beetles crawled along the moist grass, then
crows, chattering paroquets, and long-legged cranes took to the wing,
while the jungle-cock, the dial-bird, the yellow oriole, the grass
warbler, and bronze-winged pigeons sent their varied and ringing notes
through the forest. Then as the sun arose, the bulbul and the sun-birds
were seen quivering in thousands over the nectar-giving flowers of the
field. As the heat increased towards noon again all were silent, and
fled away panting to seek for coolness beneath the shade of the forest.
At this time we also sought shelter in some ruined temple or rest-house,
or we had our tents pitched under the shadow of some lofty tree. Once
more towards evening the birds took to the wing, the wild animals
hurried out to the tanks, and streams, and water-courses, and then moths
and numberless night-feeding animals came out to seek for their prey.
At length we reached a plantation which we were told belonged to Mr
Coventry. A small, but comfortable-looking bungalow stood in the midst
of it. I cannot describe the anxiety with which I approached the door.
A native servant appeared. I had to wait till Mr Fordyce came up to
interpret for me. Mr Coventry was not there. He had been for some
time, but he was lately joined by a young gentleman with whom he had set
out for another estate he had purchased to the north of Kandy, and, from
his having taken his rifles and other sporting guns, it was supposed
that he had gone on some hunting expedition. The information was not
altogether unsatisfactory. I hoped at length to come up with him, and
my heart bounded with joy at the certainty it seemed to me that the
young gentleman spoken of was my brother.
Mr Fordyce did not appear to sympathise with me as much as I should
have expected in my anxiety to find my brother.
"You will fall in with him all in good time, and a few days or weeks
cannot make much difference to either of you," he remarked.
Soon after this we heard that there was to be held, at the distance of
two or three days' journey off from where we then were, a corral or
grand elephant hunt.
"We will without fail attend it," exclaimed Mr Fordyce. "It is one of
the things most worth seeing in Ceylon, and I have not been at one for
many years."
Of course Nowell and I were delighted to go. Ceylon has for time
immemorial been celebrated for the number and size of its elephants, and
for their great sagacity and docility when trained. They have,
therefore, annually been caught and tamed, and sent off to different
parts of Asia, where they have been highly prized.
We had pitched our tents one evening at the distance of about half a
mile from one of those wonderful lakes formed artificially in days long
past for the purpose of irrigating the rice fields of the low country.
They were usually created by the erection of a dam across the mouth of a
valley, oftentimes not less than two miles in length, and from fifty to
eighty feet in height, and of a proportionable thickness. Often these
artificial pieces of water are ten or a dozen miles in circumference,
and of great depth. They are usually full of crocodiles, and are
frequented by wild-fowl of all sorts. Our evening meal was preparing,
when one of our Moors came in with the announcement that a herd of
buffaloes were in the neighbourhood feeding close to the lake, and that
we might have a fair chance of trying our powers on them. Delighted at
the prospect, Nowell and I seized our rifles, and mounting our horses,
rode off towards the spot indicated.
"I will let you go by yourselves, young gentlemen. After a long day's
journey, I do not feel that my love of sport would induce me to go
through more fatigue," observed Mr Fordyce.
Solon, of course, was very anxious to accompany me, but the Moor said he
would interrupt the sport, so very unwillingly I left him in our camp.
Nowell had already had some practice in buffalo as well as in elephant
shooting and other wild sports in Ceylon. He explained to me that it is
necessary to be very cautious in approaching a herd; sometimes they will
pretend to fly, and all of a sudden turn round and charge their pursuers
with the most desperate fury. We were both armed with double-barrelled
rifles and hunting-knives, with, as I believed, a good supply of powder
and bullets, and so we thought ourselves a match for any wild beasts in
the world. The scenery was very beautiful. There was a wide extent of
plain covered with richly green grass, and here and there sprinkled with
clumps of trees, under which herds of deer crouched in the shade, while
others browsed around. Promontories of various shapes, some wooded, and
some with only a single palm-tree on them, ran out into the bright lake,
at the further end of which rose lofty hills covered thickly with shrubs
to their very summits, the bluest of blue mountains appearing one beyond
the other in the far distance. As we rode along we put up a number of
wild-fowl, teal, and ducks; and the deer, as soon as they saw us,
scampered off to a distance, so that we could not have a shot at them
had we wished it. The ground now became too uneven for our horses, so
Nowell proposed that we should leave the Moor in charge of them, while
we walked on towards the spot where we expected to find the buffaloes.
"I am quite up to the work to be done, and it will be much more
creditable to attack them by ourselves," he observed.
I agreed. The Moor said nothing, but took the horses and sat down under
the shade of a tree. Perhaps he wanted to show us that we could not do
without him. Walking on over the uneven ground for about an eighth of a
mile, we reached a high ledge of rocks over which we scrambled, and from
its summit looked down on a wide plain, bordered on one side by the
lake, on the other by an open forest. A large herd of buffaloes--Nowell
said there were seventy or more--were lying down at about a quarter of a
mile from us in a wide marshy spot such as they delight to frequent.
Further off were other herds, scarcely discernible among the grass in
the distance. A few bulls were posted as guardians of the rest at a
little distance round the herd nearest to us. Not a breath of wind
rippled the calm surface of the lake. Scarcely had we shown our heads
above the ridge of the rock than the vigilant old scouts perceived us.
Instantly the whole herd started up, and gazed at us with astonishment,
wondering what were the intruders venturing into these solitudes. There
was no cover whatever between us and them, so that our only chance of
getting a shot was to advance boldly towards them. As we drew near, the
whole herd formed into close order, presenting a regular line like a
regiment of soldiers--most formidable-looking fellows they were--and had
not Nowell, who had often encountered them before, set me the example, I
certainly should not have ventured to face them in the way we did. The
buffalo of Ceylon and India is very different to the animal which is
called a buffalo in North America, but which is properly a bison. The
latter has an enormous head, with a long shaggy mane, and an oblong hump
on his back. The real buffalo has short legs for his great size, a
rough hard hide, and huge horns which he presses over his back when in
motion, so as to bring his eyes on a level with it, sticking out his
snout as far as possible in advance of his body. As we drew near, five
or six large bulls marched out from the main body, looking most
viciously at us as if intending to charge.
"Steady now, Marsden," sung out Nowell, "if we wish to get killed, we
shall try to run away; our safety depends on our advancing quietly. Do
not fire till I give the word. Single out the second from the right,
and aim at the middle of his head. I will take the centre one. Advance
at a trot. It will astonish them most."
On we went. 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 to stop and pick it up. I rushed into the
shallow water, thinking that it would be better to attack him there than
on dry land. Had I known that his feet were especially formed to tread
on marshy places, spreading out as they are placed on the ground, and
contracting as they are lifted up, I should have kept on the shore. At
about twenty paces off I fired. The smoke cleared away. There he
stood, unhurt it seemed, but eyeing me viciously, then slowly and
steadily he advanced like a cat about to spring on its prey. Yes, there
was a wound, and a stream of blood flowed from it. Had I retreated he
would have made a rush. I knew that--I should have been crushed in an
instant. I had still a barrel loaded. Again I fired, and eagerly I
watched for the result. The fierce animal stood still without moving a
muscle, his eye flashing with fury. I was in no better position than
before, and he was within a dozen paces of me. My only chance of safety
consisted in my being able to load and fire a more successful shot
before he was upon me. I brought my rifle down ready to load--I put in
the powder--I felt for my shot bag--I could not find it. Again and
again, with a sinking heart, I felt about for it--in vain; I had lost
it. What hope had I of escape? I kept plunging my hands convulsively
into my pockets. My fingers came upon some stones. I remembered to
have picked them up some days before at Neura-Ellia. They had been
washed down from the mountains above, and were really jewels of some
little value--precious, indeed, I thought them. They had been wrapped
up in paper. Grasping them all, I rolled them up with a pen-knife and
pencil-case, and some small coin, and rammed them all down into the two
barrels together--a regular charge of langrage. I knew that none of
this was likely to go through his skull, and I feared that my gun might
burst, but it was my only chance. If it failed--the full horror of my
situation flashed across me. How I blamed myself for having engaged in
the useless, I might say senseless and cruel sport. I knew that Nowell
must be a long way off, but I hoped that he might hear my voice, so I
shouted as shrilly as I could at the very top of it. Scarcely had I
done so, than the buffalo, feeling the pain of his wounds, with a loud
grunt rushed on towards me. I fired both barrels in quick succession
right into his head. Without stopping to see the effect produced, or
till the smoke had cleared away, 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, till the faint shouts I had heard were
repeated nearer, and I saw Nowell running at full speed towards me. I
was now more alarmed for Solon than for myself, lest he should meet with
some injury in his courageous attacks on the buffalo. The fierce animal
was, however, evidently getting weaker and weaker from loss of blood,
still his determination to punish me was unabated. Notwithstanding all
the escapes I had had, I feared that he would succeed, when Nowell came
up directly in front of him, and though nearly out of breath from his
long run, without a moment's hesitation lifted his rifle to his shoulder
and fired. In an instant our huge enemy rolled over, and never again
moved a muscle. I had had enough of buffalo-shooting for that day.
Even then I felt what a senseless sport I had been engaged in. Still I
cannot deny the excitement and interest it afforded us. All we got were
the tongues of the three buffaloes we had killed, and a steak out of the
last for Solon. He, noble fellow, had evidently broken away from his
keeper, and came up just in time to save my life. We got back at length
to our tents.