THE "KHUNI" BULL 225 



power. His horns were four inches shorter than those of 

 the Keipsang bull, the points worn away and chipped, but 

 much thicker at the base. When Paljour noticed the 

 condition of his horns, he said, " This is a khuni" meaning 

 that the animal was a murderer, and that he must have 

 killed a man. He related the story of a Tibetan, who 

 was attacked by a wild bull the year before, beyond the 

 Lanak-la. The man's stomach was torn open, and he was 

 killed on the spot. Dongs whose horns are worn and 

 battered are always vicious and dangerous ; they are 

 constantly fighting, and attack everything they encounter. 

 This bull had all the appearance of a morose old rogue ; 

 he probably was the identical brute of Paljour's story, as 

 I shot him within two days' march of the place where the 

 Tibetan was killed. The wild yak's face was greatly 

 grizzled, his teeth were worn down, and one was missing. 

 Paljour said his age could not be less than twenty years, 

 while the Keipsang bull could not have been more than 

 fifteen. As he lay, he gave me the impression of a well- 

 trained prize-fighter, while the figure of the first monster 

 I shot put me in mind of a large and portly gentleman, in 

 the prime of life, who took no care of his muscles. The 

 chest and shoulder shots were well placed, and made short 

 work of the huge beast ; as both were fired within ten 

 yards' range, the result was only natural. The bullets 

 were solid '5 00s, and had 135 grains of powder behind 

 them. The penetration was very great, and the efi'ect 

 inside tremendous. Both lungs were torn through from 

 right to left, and the chest shot had gone through the 

 body so far that we could not trace the bullet. Mystery 

 attached to the first shot I fired from the Winchester. It 

 had seemed to disable him — or was it pure cusseclness that 

 had caused him to change his course when he heard the 

 shot and come round the hill towards us ? The flesh 

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