The Arna, or Indian Buffalo 



born In the summer ; the period of a^estation beinsr 

 ten months. 



Buffalo may be hunted either by beating with a line 

 of elephants, by tracking on a single elephant, or by 

 walking them up on foot ; the hot season, in April and 

 June, being the best for the latter description of sport, 

 as the long grass is then dried and broken, or burnt 

 down, while, as water is scarce, the animals are obliged 

 to resort to such pools as remain. Buffaloes have been 

 known to charge even before being wounded ; and 

 when they do charge, wounded or unwounded, they 

 generally press the attack home. The way in which 

 a buffalo charges an elephant is described in V. Ball's 

 Jungle Life in India. " Havi ng fired or dropped all 

 my ' express ' cartridges," writes the narrator, " I fell 

 back upon my old muzzle-loading i2-bore rifle, and 

 then advanced ; whereupon the calf ran out, being 

 soon followed by the cow, in full charge at the elephant, 

 Anarkalli [the elephant], not liking the aspect of things, 

 trumpeted and turned tail, and put on a pace which 

 fairly astonished me. All this time I had no little 

 difficulty in keeping myself and four guns on the pad. 

 However, as the buffalo came on I fired the heavy 

 rifle at her with one hand, while I held on with the 

 other. The bullet hit on the horn just as she was 

 making a vigorous butt at Anarkalli's stern quarters. 

 She then returned to her lair, and quite disappeared 

 from sight by lying down. With some difficulty the 

 mahout got the elephant back again ; but as she was 

 very nervous, I got off the pad into the branches of 

 a tree. Presently the cow stood up, and I then gave 

 her a shot behind the ear which immediately dropped 

 her dead. In all she had received seven bullets, one 

 of the ' express ' balls having, strange to say, broken 

 one of her hind-legs high up near its insertion with the 

 pelvis. In spite of this she had run a long distance, 

 and made the gallant charge I have described." 



The head of a wild buffalo from Upper Assam in 



87 



