TEAK AND BAMBOO 95 



Reaching and passing up the bottom of the ravine, I 

 again clearly heard the hoarse challenge, and halted. 

 " Dhdnk / " my lusty young voice burst forth in fierce 

 acceptance, and with hastening steps I clattered over the 

 boulders and sprang up the bank. A fringe of thick 

 coppice surrounded the large akhdra of our glen, and 

 through this I forced my head and shoulders, and glared 

 forth into the arena. 



There, facing the moon, whose cold rays fell on his wild 

 eyeballs and bristling mane, stood a hoary old stag. Throw- 

 ing up his muzzle, he gave vent to a hoarse, whistling, 

 broken-voiced bellow, displaying in that motion a throat 

 and chest livid with deep scars. The tips of his thin, 

 sharp-pointed horns for he was past his prime gleamed 

 dully against the dark background, where the indistinct 

 forms of some hinds mingled with the shadows cast by 

 the trees. 



The scene roused me to an unutterable fury, and I 

 slowly emerged from the copse and faced him. He turned 

 his bloodshot eyes on me. And thus we glared at each 

 other, every hair erect, tails stiffly raised, and wide-opened 

 eyepits glistening with the sickly-smelling secretion of the 

 rutting season. A sudden silence fell : the jungle seemed 

 to wake and hold its breath: a nightjar "Chuck, chuck, 

 chuckodd" in the distance : we each paced forward slowly : 

 and then, with one swift rush, our antlers crashed together ! 

 Round and round, now back, now forwards, as one or the 

 other gained some momentary advantage, raged the furious 

 battle : the earth was torn up under the spurning of our 

 widespread feet; saplings snapped under our mad, blind 

 rushes ; sticks and leaves flew as though a whirlwind caught 

 them up. At length we paused for breath, horn to horn, 

 leaning against each other, open-mouthed, eyes showing 

 white, and blood clotting our manes or dripping on the 

 dried leaves below. Then at it again, forced to our knees, 

 heaving up again, resisting and boring, horn grating on 



