Almost as he fell he fired down into the buffalo's shoulder, but the bullet had no effect.

Man and horse were fetched smashing to the ground, the man pinned under the horse's body.
The bull hesitated a second before hurling himself upon the two; and in that second Hugh jumped from his horse, ran up, stood over the fallen man, holding out the rifle like a pistol with the muzzle an inch off the bull's head, and fired.

A buffalo's skull is an inch and a half thick, solid bone, as hard as granite; but a Martini carbine, sighted for a thousand yards, will pierce it like paper at short range.

The smoke had not cleared away when the huge beast fell to the ground within two feet of his intended victims.

Hugh pulled Considine from under the horse.
The unfortunate beast struggled to his feet, with blood gushing from a terrible wound in the belly, ran fifty yards, and fell dead.
The old man looked round him in silence.