PALJOUR TAKES UP THE SCENT 21^ 



and the marks showed distiucLly iu the damp earth. 

 Paljour began to think the footprints more recent, and 

 quickened his pace ; presently he came to some droppings, 

 and exclaimed, " It is only two days old ! " Farther on we 

 passed more dung, and Paljour with great animation 

 declared that the animal had passed along here only the 

 day before. The tracking was carried on with great 

 diligence now, for we were evidently on the track of a 

 very large bull, and he could not be far off. As we got 

 farther into the folds of the valley our caution increased, 

 and old Paljour, who led the way, became the embodiment 

 of circumspection. We made a careful survey of the 

 ground ahead from every bend in the valley, and scanned 

 every slope and hollow with the greatest minuteness ; our 

 advance was consequently very slow. It was necessary to 

 exercise such care, because the wind was blowing up the 

 valley to our quarry. It thus became a regular game : if 

 the dong scented us first, he would win ; if we saw him 

 first, we should score. At one of these turns, while 

 Paljour, myself, and the coolie boy carrying my tiffin 

 were lying prone on the slope of a rise, Pamber, the boy, 

 drew Paljour's attention, albeit dubiously, to a black spot 

 on the slope of a distant stony hill. Paljour said it was a 

 rock; we had made many such mistakes before. Even 

 after a careful look through the binoculars, none of us 

 could say positively what it was, but, when the long 

 telescope was brought to bear, we found that the supposed 

 rock was our quarry — an enormous bull taking his rest. 

 He was certainly not less than two miles away, and was 

 high up on the slope, so he could not possibly scent us ; 

 we had won the first move in the game. We dropped 

 under cover at once, and lay there nearly two hours, till 

 nine o'clock, waiting till his bovine lordship had finished 

 his " Europe morning " ; but he did not move excepting once. 



