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Stories:

CLASSIFIED CONTENTS

Some Adventures of Don

Quixote

A Dissertation on Roast
Pig

The Parting of Hector and

Andromache

Nature Study, Science, and
History:

The Confederate Soldier
The Discovery of Peru
A Peruvian Temple
The Sky

The Death of Nelson
Champlain and the Indians

The Physical Characteris-
tics of Greece

Athenian Literature

Farewell Address

The Battle of the Ants

Gettysburg Address

The Milky Way

The Battle of Hastings

The Sun

The Renaissance

Poems:

The Burial of Sir John
Moore

My Heart's in the High-

lands

nacherib

The Arsenal at Springfield
Recessional

She was a Phantom of De-
light

O Captain! my Captain!
The Courtship of Miles
Standish

To the Ocean

SEVENTH READER

An Awkward Twenty Minutes

BY SIR SAMUEL W. BAKER

Sir Samuel White Baker (1821-1893): An English traveler who explored the region around the sources of the White Nile. Among other works descriptive of his travels and adventures, he wrote "The Rifle and Hound in Ceylon," from which this selection is taken.

The haunts of the buffalo are in the hottest parts of Ceylon. In the neighborhood of lakes, swamps, and extensive plains, the buffalo exists in large herds; wallowing in the soft mire, and passing two thirds of his time in the water itself, he may be termed almost am- 5 phibious.

He is about the size of a large ox, of immense bone and strength, very active, and his hide is almost free from hair, giving an unpleasant appearance to his indiarubberlike skin. He carries his head in a peculiar 10 manner, the horns thrown back, and his nose projecting on a level with his forehead, thus securing himself from a front shot in a fatal part. This renders him a dangerous enemy, as he will receive any number of balls from a small gun in the throat and chest, without evincing the 15 least symptom of distress. The shoulder is the acknowl

9

edged point to aim at, but from his disposition to face the guns this is a difficult shot to obtain. Should he succeed in catching his antagonist, his fury knows no bounds, and he gores his victim to death, trampling and 5 kneeling upon him till he is satisfied that life is extinct.

This sport would not be very dangerous in the forests, where the buffalo could be easily stalked and where escape would also be rendered less difficult in case of accident; but, as he is generally met with upon the open plains, 10 free from a single tree, he must be killed when once brought to bay or he will soon exhibit his qualifications for mischief. There is a degree of uncertainty in their character which much increases the danger of the pursuit. A buffalo may retreat at first sight with every symptom 15 of cowardice and thus induce a too eager pursuit, when he will suddenly become the assailant. I cannot explain their character better than by describing the first wild buffaloes that I ever saw.

I was on a shooting trip, accompanied by my brother, 20 whom I shall designate as B. We had passed a toilsome

day in pushing and dragging our ponies for twenty miles along a narrow path through a thick jungle, which half a dozen natives in advance were opening before us with billhooks.

25 We emerged upon an extensive plain bordered by fine

forests. The principal tenants of the plain were wild buffaloes. A herd of about a hundred were lying in a swampy hollow about a quarter of a mile from us. With our two light double-barreled guns, we advanced to the attack. 30 We had not left the obscurity of the forest many sec

onds before we were observed. The herd started up

from their muddy bed, and gazed at us with astonishment. It was a fair open plain of some thousand acres, bounded by the forest which we had just quitted on the one side, and by the lake on the other; thus there was no cover for our advance, and all we could do was to push on.

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As we approached the herd, they ranged up in a compact body, presenting a very regular line in front. From this line, seven large bulls stepped forth, and from their vicious appearance seemed disposed to show fight. In the meantime we were running up and were soon within 10 thirty paces of them. At this distance, the main body of the herd suddenly wheeled round and thundered across the plain in full retreat. One of the bulls at the same moment charged straight at us, but when within twenty paces of the guns, he turned to one side 15 and instantly received two balls in the shoulder, B. and I having fired at the same moment. As luck would have it, his bladebone was thus broken and he fell upon his knees, but recovering himself in an instant, he retreated on three legs to the water.

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We now received assistance from an unexpected quarter. One of the large bulls, his companion, charged after him with great fury, and soon overtaking the wounded beast, he struck him full in the side, throwing him over with a great shock on the muddy border of 25 the lake. Here the wounded animal lay, unable to rise, and his conqueror commenced a slow retreat across the plain.

Leaving B. to finish the wounded buffalo, I gave chase to the retreating bull. At an easy canter he would gain 30 a hundred paces, and then, turning, he would face me;

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