"The Indians remove nearly all their clothing, so that they can climb trees and get out of the way of the infuriated buffalo whenever he charges at them, and only the most active of the young Indians are selected for this work. By-and-by I heard the barking of the dogs; it kept coming nearer and nearer, and in a little while one of the Indians showed himself at the edge of the forest and sprung into the limbs of the nearest tree. I brought my rifle to my shoulder, and stood ready to receive the assailant. As he came out of the forest, he stopped a moment, as if bewildered at not seeing the Indian; when he looked around his eyes rested on me, and then he came onward, crashing through the small bushes, and trampling down everything that stood in his way.
"He made straight for me, as if intending to run me down, and did not pause till he was not ten paces away. Then he halted for a few seconds, and lowered his head to rush upon me with his horns.
"This is the critical moment when the hunter should deliver his fire, and he must aim directly at the centre of the animal's forehead. If the gun misses fire, or he fails of his aim, he is lost.
"I fired just at the right time, and the bullet went straight to its mark. The buffalo made his plunge as he had intended, but instead of piercing me with his horns, he fell dead at my feet. The Indians then came up and praised my coolness, and predicted that I would become a famous hunter. I have shot a good many buffaloes since then, but it is fair to say I always have some one near me to deliver a shot in case my rifle should fail, and I stand close to a tree, and am prepared to jump behind it if possible. This is a precaution that every one should take, as you can never be certain that your gun will not miss fire, or your shot may fail to pierce the thick skull of the buffalo."
Frank asked how much the buffalo of the Philippines was like that of the United States.
"He is included in the same genus," was the reply, "but the species is quite distinct. The American animal is misnamed when he is called buffalo; he is properly the bison, and his scientific name is _Bos Americanus_, while the Luzon buffalo is described as the _Bos Arna_. The buffalo of the Philippines is an animal of more docility than the ox when properly domesticated, and is capable of rendering more services to man than his patient brother. But he must be tamed when very young--less than a year old; if suffered to reach two or three years without restraint, he is sure to be vicious, and is of no use except to be converted into beef. He is stronger than the ox, and will live on coarser food; he eats the bushes and vines that the ox refuses, and he is fond of aquatic plants, as well as those that grow on the slopes of the hills. When the heat is great, he takes to the water, and will spend the whole day there, browsing on the lilies and other things that grow in it. He stirs up the roots with his feet and devours them, and he will even hold his head under water to reach what is growing on the bottom.