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CHAPTER XIX. 



ADVENTURES IN BISON-SHOOTING. 



ENJOYABLE CHARACTER OF THE SPORT — SPORTING KNIVES — HEAVY RIFLES — VITALITY 

 AND ENDURANCE OF BISON — HOW TO APPROACH BISON — ONE OF MY FIRST ATTEMPTS 

 — MY ALLY H. — CAMP AT YEMMAY GUDDAY — FLOORED WITH FEVER — MY TRACKERS 

 FIND BISON — I WOUND A BULL — FOLLOW HIM NEXT DAY — A LONG HUNT — BROUGHT 

 TO BAY — KILL HIM — FINGERS BEFORE FORKS — MARROW-BONES — HONEY — BAG AN- 

 OTHER LARGE BULL— CAPTURE TWO TIGER-CUBS — ACCOUNT OF HOW P. AND I SLEW 

 THE HANAY-KERRAY BULLS — ANOTHER OLD BULL— A FOUR DAYS' HUNT— PERSEVER- 

 ANCE REWARDED — THE GREAT MOTHER. 



AFTER elephant-shooting there is, perhaps, no sport with the rifle to 

 be compared to bison - stalking. Whether herds or solitary bulls 

 are the object of pursuit, the chase leads through the finest country, gener- 

 ally the forests of deep valleys at high elevations. It affords ample scope 

 for the exercise of woodcraft and sportsman - like qualities, and gives a 

 great amount of healthful exercise and excitement. An early start must be 

 made to find the animals before they lie down for the day, so the sportsman 

 enjoys the varied pleasures of a mountain view at early morning, when the 

 air is cool and invigorating. This starting at break of day is not very 

 safe work, perhaps, as far as malarial fever is concerned ; but what recks the 

 young sportsman of that ? The pursuit is vested with peculiar interest for 

 him ; he hopes to get a head which shall throw the trophies of his friends 

 into the shade ; and a pleasurable smack of danger adds to his anticipa- 

 tions as he thinks of the stories he has heard of bison-charging ! Then, 

 too, he hopes to have better luck than to get fever. Didn't Brown and 

 Robinson of his regiment shoot at Bandipoor for ten days, which every one 

 tells him is a " safe " place for fever, but neither of them had a touch ? 



The trackers must be first-rate for good bison-stalking ; and until the 

 game is ascertained to be near, it is a good plan to allow two to go on a 



