test
caution. Knowing, also, that no animal shows more fierceness and
contempt for danger, while protecting its young, he was anxious to get a
dead shot, so as to avoid the risk of a conflict with the cow, should
she be only wounded. When he had got as close as the cover would allow
him, he took aim at the cow's heart and fired.

Contrary to his expectation, the animal neither fell nor fled, but
merely turned an inquiring glance in the direction from whence the
report had proceeded.

This was a mystery the hunter could not explain. Why did the cow keep
to the same spot? If not disabled by the bullet, why had she not gone
off, taking her young one along with her?

"I might as well have been stalking a tree as this buffalo," thought
Willem, "for one seems as little inclined to move as the other."

Hastily reloading his roer, he rode fearlessly forward, now quite
confident that the cow could not escape him. She seemed not to care
about retreating, and he had got close up to the spot where she stood,
when all at once the buffalo charged furiously towards him, and was only
stopped by receiving a second bullet from the roer that hit right in the
centre of the forehead. One more plunge forward and the animal dropped
on her knees, and died after the manner of buffaloes, with legs spread
and back uppermost, instead of falling over on its side. Another shot
finished the calf, which was crying pitifully by the side of its mother.

Congo now came up, and, while examining the calf, discovered that one of
its legs had been already broken. This accounted for the cow not having
attempted to save herself by flight. She knew that her offspring was
disabled, and stayed by it from an instinct of maternal solicitude.

While Willem was engaged reloading his gun, he heard a loud rustling
among the parasitical plants that loaded the pandanus-tree under which
he and Congo were standing. Some large body was stirring among the
branches. What could it be?

"Stand clear," shouted Willem, as he swerved off from the tree, at the
same time setting the cap upon his gun.

At the distance of ten or twelve paces he faced round, and stood ready
to meet the moving object, whatever it might be. Just then he saw
standing before him a tall man who had dropped down from among the
leaves, while Willem's back had been turned towards the tree.

The dress and general appearance of this individual proclaimed him to be
a native African, but not