XI MY RECORD BISON 115 



the open country, one of the men excitedly 

 attracted my attention to a dark object grazing 

 in the open, on the side of a hill about a mile 

 off, which, owing to the size, led me to believe it 

 must be an elephant, but the shikari declared it 

 was a solitary bull bison, and my glasses soon 

 satisfied me that such was the case. 



By this time it was close upon sundown, and 

 my one anxiety was to get within shot while yet 

 light enough to see the sights of my rifle. After 

 an animated conversation as to the best point to 

 reach, we decided to work round and get above 

 him, the wind also being favourable for that 

 move, so taking one man I hurried forward. 

 After reaching a hollow swampy place, which we 

 had to cross, we lost sight of the quarry, and could 

 only trust to finding him somewhere about the 

 spot where he had been first seen grazing. The 

 clamber up the face of the hill was heart-breaking, 

 it being covered with loose stones concealed in 

 matted grass, so that with the effort of climbing, 

 and anxiety not to make a noise, added to the 

 knowledge that it was getting darker every moment, 

 I was dripping by the time I reached a coign of 

 vantage. We proceeded carefully along the side, 

 looking down every moment hoping to see the 

 bull, and had not gone far when the native 

 crouched, pointing below him. All I saw was the 

 immense head and horns of the animal as he 

 gazed up at me through some very long grass, 

 and I could only guess how he stood, so fired to 

 just miss his head, hoping to get the bullet into 

 his chest inside the shoulder blade. It was barely 

 light enough to see the foresight of my rifle. 



