i8o A LUCKY SHOT, to the top of the tree, which was an exceedingly difficult one to climb, being armed with numerous thorns ; but to his other accomplishments, he added that of being able to climb like a monkey.

We soon heard a joyful shout from Achmet, telling us that the buffalo was dead. Before, however, venturing any nearer to his vicinity, we threw some stones to see if he would stir ; as these animals will sometimes get on their feet, and make a last charge, when you think they are done for. As nothing moved, we pushed our way through the dkoicm-Y>3\ms> ; there we found an enormous bull buffalo, quite dead. He had been standing with his tail towards us, and was shot in the back of the head, the ball lodging in the brain, death consequently being instantaneous. The report caused by the first discharge of the rifle had prevented our hearing him fall, and the second and third shots had evidently been fired into space. He had been killed l)y a single ball in the head ; and we found, on examination, that he was not the bull that had been wounded on the previous day. In the neck we found a conical bullet, which, from its appearance, had been there a long time, perhaps for years ; the skin where it had entered was quite healed up, and had left only a small scar. Curiously enough, my brother's bullet had killed a camel-bird at the same time as the buffalo ; the bird must have been standing on the bull's head, searching for ticks.

We "piled arms" behind a tree some little distance off, and superintended the cutting-up process. Having satisfied ourselves as to the bullet that had killed him, and seen that the head was properly removed, we were making for a shady tree, when we heard a great rush, and out bolted the other bull. He must have been standing not more than fifteen yards from the place where we had been engaged in skinning his companion ; and it was most fortunate for us, that he had not taken it into