He Advanced To Within Fifty Paces
Of Me, And, Ploughing Up The Ground With His Horns, And Roaring, He
Seemed Determined To Make An Attack.
However, I managed to pass him at
length, being determined to pay him off on my return, if he were still
in the same spot.
On arriving near the position of the elephant, I saw at once that it was
impossible to get him: he was standing in a deep morass of great extent,
backed by thick jungles, and I could not approach nearer than 150 paces.
After trying several ruses to induce him to quit his mud-bath and come
on, I found it was of no use; he was not disposed to be a fighter, as he
saw my strong position upon some open rising ground among some large
trees. I therefore took a rest upon the branch of a tree, and gave him a
shot from the four-ounce rifle through the shoulder. This sent him to
the thick jungle with ears and trunk drooping, but produced no other
effect. I therefore returned towards the tent, fully expecting to meet
my old enemy, the bull, whom I had left master of the field. In this I
was not disappointed; he was standing within a few yards of the same
spot, and, upon seeing me, he immediately advanced, having a very poor
opinion of an enemy who had retreated from him an hour previous.
Instead of charging at a rapid pace he trotted slowly up, and I gave him
the four-ounce when within fifty yards. This knocked him over; but, to
my astonishment, he recovered himself instantly and galloped towards me.
Again he stopped within twenty yards of me, and it was fortunate for me
that he did; for a servant who was carrying my long two-ounce rifle had,
in his excitement, cocked it and actually set the hair-trigger. This he
managed to touch as he handed it to me, and it exploded close to my
head. I had only a light double-gun loaded, and the buffalo was
evidently prepared to charge in a few seconds.
To my great satisfaction I saw the bloody foam gathering upon his lips,
and I knew that he was struck through the lungs; but, nevertheless, the
distance was so short between us that he could reach me in two or three
bounds. Keeping my Moorman with the light gun close to me in readiness,
I began to load my two big rifles. In the mean time the bull was
advancing step by step with an expression of determined malice, and my
Cingalese servant, in an abject state of fright, was imploring me to
run--simply as an excuse for his own flight. `Buffalo's coming, sar!
Master, run plenty, quick! Buffalo's coming, sar! Master, get big tree!'
I could not turn to silence the fellow, but I caught him a fine backward
kick upon the shins with my heel, which stopped him, and in a few
seconds I was loaded and the four-ounce was in my hand. The bull, at
this time, was not fifteen yards from me; but, just as I was going to
fire, I saw him reel to one side; and in another moment he rolled upon
his back, a dead buffalo, although I had not fired after my first shot.
The ball, having entered his chest, was sticking in the skin of his
haunch, having passed through his lungs. His wonderful pluck had kept
him upon his legs until life was extinct.
I am almost tired of recounting so many instances of the courage of
these beasts. When I look back to those scenes, so many ghosts of
victims rise up before me that, were I to relate one-half their
histories, it would fill a volume. The object in describing these
encounters is to show the style of animal that the buffalo is in his
natural state. I could relate a hundred instances where they have died
like curs, and have afforded no more sport than tame cows; but I merely
enumerate those scenes worth relating that I have witnessed. This will
show that the character of a wild buffalo can never be depended upon;
and if the pursuit is followed up as a sport by itself, the nature of
the animal cannot be judged by the individual behaviour of any
particular beast. Some will fight and some will fly, and no one can tell
which will take place; it is at the option of the beast. Caution and
good shooting, combined with heavy rifles, are necessary. Without heavy
metal the sport would be superlatively dangerous if regularly followed
up. Many persons kill a wild buffalo every now and then; but I have
never met with a single sportsman in Ceylon who has devoted himself to
the pursuit as a separate sport. Unless this is done the real character
of buffaloes in general must remain unknown. It may, however, be
considered as a rule with few exceptions that the buffaloes seldom
commence the attack unless pursued. Their instinct at once tells them
whether the man advancing towards them over the plain comes as an enemy.
They may then attack; but if unmolested they will generally retreat,
and, like all men of true courage, they will never seek a quarrel, and
never give in when it is forced upon them. Many descriptions of my
encounters with these animals may appear to militate against this
theory, but they are the exceptions that I have met with; the fierce
look of defiance and the quick tossing of the head may appear to portend
a charge, but the animals are generally satisfied with this
demonstration, and retreat.
Attack the single bulls and follow them up, and they will soon show
their real character. Heavy rifles then make a good sport of what would
otherwise be a chance of ten to one against the man. It must be
remembered that the attack is generally upon an extensive plain, without
a single sheltering tree; escape by speed is therefore impossible, and
even a horse must be a good one or a buffalo will catch him.
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